Moon Child
by BloodyNote
Summary: This fanfic will follow the original plot and story line but with my character added in. Tsukiko will be Yona's younger sister, who joins her on the quest to find the 4 dragons. Along the way she falls in love with a certain pretty boy genius. A Yoon needs more love fanfic. This will be based on the manga!
1. Character Info

Name: Tsukiko

Gender: Female

Age: 14

Date of birth: March 18th

Eye colour: Purple

Hair colour: Silver

Height: 150cm

Weight: 31kg (5stone)

Hobbies; Reading, Singing, Dancing, Helping around the castle(obviously when she lives in the castle), helping those in need.

Skills; Learns fast, very observational, adaptable to different weapons, fast runner.

Likes; Yona, Hak, The 4 dragon warriors, Yoon(obviously), stars, the moon, music, singing, helping others, cooking, nature, learning new things.

Dislikes; Being alone, the dark, small spaces, bullies, people that hurt her friends or those she cares for, Soo-won, big crowds, loud noises.

Background: So basically she's Yona's little sister, unlike Yona, Tsukiko takes her time to learn about the kingdom and it's neighboring lands. She always helps the people around the castle, she gets up early every morning to run a couple laps around the castle grounds, then she helps prepare the food in the kitchen. She watches Hak train everyday and has picked up how to use the bow and arrow as well as a sword and spear. However she has never touched a weapon for fear of angering her father or Yona. Due to being very shy she has learnt to be observant of people and how they move or act, this is so she can avoid interacting with people she does not want to.

Since she is so quiet sometimes she is forgotten or goes unnoticed by others. This includes her father and Yona. However Hak always knows when she's around, but this is mostly because he has sharpened senses. Tsukiko is saddened by this fact but doesn't let other know of how she feels as not to worry or upset them.

Her relationship with each character;

Yona; Sister (Obviously)

Hak; Best friend

Yoon; Crush

The 4 dragons; Basically older brothers

Weapons; Katana, bow and arrow.


	2. Chapter 1

**Tsukiko's POV**

I sat in a corner of the room with my Father and big sister Yona. Of course they had long forgotten that I was here. Yona-nee was complaining about her hair again. In my opinion it's beautiful, the colour reminds me of the sky at dawn, but she never listens to what I have to say. She doesn't remember me long enough to hold a long enough conversation. But it's not her fault, I'm very quiet, so people tend to forget that I'm here.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a weight on top of my head. I looked up to see Hak looking down at me.

"You okay? You seemed out of it." He asked a spark of worry evident in his blue orbs. I nodded and smiled.

"Yes I'm okay Hak, thank you. I was just thinking is all." I replied, I then realised that my Father and Yona-nee were no longer present in the room. I sighed and looked to Hak.

"Where'd Father and Yona-nee go?" I asked sadly. Concern flashed in his eyes as he looked at me.

"The princess went off to find Lord Soo-Won and His Majesty Il left not longer after her." He explained bluntly. I nodded my head looking down sadly.

"I see. Thank you." I replied sighing.

"What do you say we go find the Princess then?" Hak asked trying to cheer me up no less. I grinned and nodded my head as I stood up.

"Of course, let's go!" I exclaimed cheerfully. Hak smiled and grabbed my hand leading me out of the room in search of Yona-nee. It didn't take long as we saw her standing in the stoned hallway talking to herself. Hak let go of my hand and walked over to her, I followed quietly not making a sound as I walked.

"All that effort gone to waste." Hak said as he casually lent against the railing eating a meat bun **(I don't know what he was eating XD)**

"SHUT UP!" Yona-nee shouted angrily at Hak. She turned towards me and I waved, however she just walked straight past me mumbling "Stupid Soo-Won." I sighed and let my hand drop to my side.

"Hak am I really so invisible that my own family don't notice me?" I asked as I felt tears fall down my cheeks.

"Princess..." Hak didn't know how to answer me.

"It's okay Hak. I'm fine. I'm okay." I assured quietly. But I began to cry harder. Hak quickly came over to me and basically engulfed me in his large form, letting me cry into his chest. I gripped his robe tightly as I cried and cried.

"Hey Princess. Tears don't suit you. You should always have a bright smile on that cute face of yours." Hak said as he pulled away and wiped my tears. I nodded my head and gave him a small smile. He frowned slightly and looked me in the eyes.

"Princess you're not invisible. If you were me and all the other servants of the castle wouldn't notice you. But we do. So smile for those of us that can see you. It's what gives a lot of us motivation, okay?" Hak explained giving me a small smile. I sniffled and closed my eyes and gave him my biggest grin.

"There's the happy go lucky Princess we all know." Hak laughed. I pouted.

"Hak stop calling me Princess. I told you to call me Tsukiko." I complained stomping my foot lightly. He chuckled and ruffled my hair.

"Alright Tsukiko." He agreed. I cheered while jumping up and down.

"Hello Princess Tsu and General Hak." Min-soo greeted.

"Hi Min-soo!" I waved happily and ran over to hug him. He chuckled but hugged me back nonetheless. Hak walked over to us both.

"Yo Min-soo. Mind walking Tsukiko back to her chambers? I have to patrol." Hak asked looking around the palace. Min-soo nodded his head and grabbed my hand.

"Sure thing General Hak. Come on then Princess Tsu." Min-soo said calmly as he lead me back to my room.

"Bye Hak!" I waved as we walked away from him. He waved over his shoulder as he walked the other way. After a bit of walking we reached my room, where Min-soo let go of my hand and stepped away from me and bowed.

"Here we are Princess Tsu." He stated politely smiling. I pouted and huffed quietly.

"Min-soo stop calling me Princess and stop being so polite." I ordered him, he stared at me for a second before smiling and nodding his head.

"Sure Tsu." He smiled as I threw my hands up and jumped around cheering.

"Goodnight Min-soo." I said as I calmed down and hugged him. He chuckled and hugged me back.

"Goodnight Tsu." He replied as he bowed and turned walking away. I smiled to myself and entered my room. It was like all the other rooms. But I had it decorated blue, since that was my favourite colour. I skipped over to my wardrobe and pulled out a blue night gown, I placed it on my bed and stripped of all my clothes. I changed my undergarments and pulled the nightgown over my head. Before I got into bed I carefully folded my dirty clothes and placed them in the clothes basket to be washed. After I'd done that I flopped onto my bed and fell asleep.

 **~Time skip to the morning~**

I had woken up early this morning to go on my run and help the 'servants' around the castle. I don't like calling them servants, it makes them sound lower than me. They may be in status but I don't care for titles. They're my friends. But anyway, I had done all of that and I was now watching Hak and Soo-won practice their archery. It was very calming into Yona-nee came charging in.

"No fair Hak!" She shouted clenching her fists.

"Stealing Soo-won to play with him while I'm not looking." She complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Soo-won doesn't belong to you Yona-nee. Plus he's Hak's friend too. They haven't seen each other in a while." I spoke quietly from my seat on the railing. Of course I went unnoticed.

"Now now, those two haven't see each other in a while too. Since they're the same age they can probably relate easier." Father spoke, rewording what I had said.

'Sometimes I feel that they do it on purpose.' I thought sadly hanging my head.

"I want to do archery with Soo-won too!" Yona-nee shouted whilst in a daze. I just sighed and watched intently as Soo-won and Hak shot arrow after arrow. Hak never missing.

"W-WHAT?! Not a chance! I could never let you hold a weapon. Actually, I didn't even want those two to have them." Father explained and I sighed again.

'I get why he doesn't want us to use weapons, but would it really be so bad to know how to defend myself?' I thought turning to look at my Father and Yona-nee as they argued.

"Yona. Come on down. Come ride the horse." Soo-won offered smiling. Yona-nee's eyes lit up, Father however looked mortified.

"SOO-WON!" He shouted angrily with fear laced in his voice.

"She'll be fine Father. It's just riding a horse. Jeez." I spoke turning back to face the two on the lower level.

"She'll be fine. She'll just be riding the horse." Soo-won reassured. Yona-nee ahd already ran down to them and was standing beside the horse.

"It's high! I'm scared!" She whined. Yona-nee can be pretty pathetic. It's a horse. It's not that high.

"Relax Hak and I will support you." Soo-won again reassured her. But she began to protest.

"Hak will die under the Princess's weight soon." Hak deadpanned. I laughed catching the attention of my father.

"How long have you been here Tsukiko?" Father asked innocently. I teared up slightly and clenched my hands into fists, resulting in my fingernails digging into my palms. However I quickly looked up at him smiling.

"Not long Father. I just got here." I lied.

"Oh alright then." He replied before walking away. I sighed and started tearing up again.

"Tsukiko!" Hak's voice shouted making me jump and fall off the rail. Of course this caught the attention of Yona-nee and Soo-won who gasped at my falling figure. I quickly moved so I would land on my feet, once my feet touched the ground I crouched low like a ninja. Of course making no sound. I stood up and looked to the three people in front of me. Hak was clapping with an impressed face, Soo-won looked shocked and impressed. But Yona-nee looked angry, I don't know why, maybe because I stole Soo-won's attention. I sighed again and walked over to Hak as Soo-won and Yona-nee galloped away **(into the sunset)**. Suddenly I was lifted up onto the horse, I shrieked a bit at the surprise lift but relaxed when i realised it was just Hak.

"Tsukiko are you eating properly?" Hak asked as he lifted himself onto the horse and grabbed the rains of the horse.

"Yes, why?" I answered looking up at him confused.

"You're very light is all. Lighter than the princess." He replied with a straight face. Which caused me to laugh into my hand. I suddenly felt very sleepy and lent on Hak's chest as I closed my eyes.

"Tsukiko?" Hak asked quietly. I just hummed in reply, too tired to answer properly. He chuckled and continued to control the horse. I assume he moved the horse so that we were near Yona-nee and Soo-won as I could hear them talking.

 **~Time skip cause she fell asleep~**

I woke up to find myself in my bed, Hak must have brought me here. I looked out my window to see it was night time. I lent on my windowsill looking out into the rain. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement so turned to get a better look and saw that it was Yona-nee running from someone. My eyes widened and I quickly jumped out of my window and ran full speed towards them. Once I was close enough I jumped onto the guys back stopping him from chasing after Yona-nee who had disappeared somewhere. The mysterious guy threw me off his back and into the wall behind me, which of course knocked the breath out of me. He drew his sword and my eyes widened, the sword seemed to come down in slow motion. I quickly snapped out of my daze and dodged the blade by rolling to the side, I used the momentum to push myself onto my hands and twist around then stand on my feet.

"Who are you?" I demanded. The man stayed quiet and went to attack me again. However this time I jumped up and flipped over his head, once I had landed on the floor I quickly crouched and kicked his legs out from under him. As he fell I ran away to find Hak. As I turned another corner I saw Hak leaning against a pillar casually eating a meat bun. Changing direction I ran over to him, at this point I was crying. The adrenaline had gone away and I was terrified.

"Hak!" I shouted as I crashed into him hugged him tightly. He tensed from the sudden appearance but relaxed when he realised it was me.

"Tsukiko! What's wrong?!" He asked loudly pulling me away from his chest. He crouched so that he was eye level with me, cause I'm short, and attempted to wipe away my tears but they just kept falling.

"I was so scared Hak!" I wailed as I sobbed loudly.

"This man was chasing Yona-nee so I ran after them to help her. I stopped him b-but he starting swinging his sword at me! I thought he was going to g-get me! I was s-so scared!" I cried, my hands were shaking and I had fallen to my knees at some point. My body was racked with sobs.

"Tsukiko..let's get you to your room, okay?" I nodded my head and stood up, however when I went to walk my legs collapsed from under me. Hak being the great person he is quickly caught me and picked me up bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck and continued to cry into his shoulder. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

 **~Time skip to Yona's birthday.~**

These past 5 days has been spent hanging around Hak a lot, if I'm not with Hak, then I'm with Min-soo. I still don't know how I did what I did against that man, and the attack had left me scared to death. But it was Yona-nee's birthday and we were in the grand hall celebrating. Of course Father was crying and Yona-nee was complaining about her hair again. I held her present in my hands and smiled to myself.

"Yona-nee! Happy birth-" I was cut of as she ran straight past me and to Soo-won who smiled at her.

"-day. I hope you like your present." I finished quietly to myself. I had made her a bracelet.

'I guess I'll give it to her later.' I thought to myself sadly. I turned to look out the doors leading outside and saw Hak standing between Yona-nee and Soo-won. His face was completely void of emotion and it made me giggle as I walked over to them. Yona-nee again ran straight past me grumbling about Father.

I walked in on Hak and Soo-won talking about the strange presence around the castle.

"I can't say for certain but something doesn't feel right, like someone has infiltrated the castle." Hak stated. I facepalmed and stood behind Hak knowing Soo-won hadn't seen me. Hak chuckled which made Soo-won confused.

"Now that you mention it Yona told me something like that too." Soo-won casually slipped in.

"What!?" Hak shouted surprised. I nudged his back slightly with my elbow and he did the same back. I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You ought to investigate the people who came today." Soo-won suggested.

"Roger that! I'm leaving the Princess in your care, Lord Soo-won." Hak shouted over his shoulder as he ran away from the Lord. Pulling me along with him of course. I easily kept up with him which seemed to surprise him.

"I'm going to Yona-nee's room then back to my room Hak." I explained as I stopped. He nodded and continued to run to wherever. I quickly made my way to Yona-nee's room. Once I was there I knocked on the door.

"Come in." A soft voice called. I smiled and opened the door, peaking my head inside.

"Yona-nee!" I said louder than usual as to catch her attention. She turned to me surprised and smiled.

"Tsukiko! I haven't seen you all day. Where were you?" She asked pouting. I frowned a bit and sighed.

"I've been helping around the castle Yona-nee. But I came to give you your present." I said handing her the box. She smiled and opened the box. Her smile shrunk as she saw what was inside.

"What's wrong Yona-nee?" I asked frowning.

"I just expected something more expensive looking." She answered closing the box and throwing it to the side.

"Not everything is about how expensive something is Yona-nee..."I said sadly.

"Oh! I must speak to Father about being with Soo-won." She said as she ran out of her room.

"Yona-nee! Wait!" I shouted as I ran after here. But she kept running.

'Wait why is it so quiet? Where are all the guards?' I thought as I continued to follow Yona-nee. She finally stopped in front of Fathers chamber.

'Why is the door open?' I thought stepping next to Yona-nee.

"Huh..?" Yona-nee is just as confused as I am. However she pushed the door open further.

"Father..?" She spoke quietly as she stepped into the room. I followed in behind her. I looked around the room until my eyes fell onto the figures near the balcony. I gasped covering my mouth with my hands. Tears sprung to my eyes and I stood frozen as Father fell to the floor.

"HYAAA!" Yona-nee screamed.

"F-FATHER?!" She screamed again.

'Why?' I thought falling to the floor crying silently.

"Father! Father!" Yona-nee kept calling him.

'Stop it Yona-nee...he's dead..' I thought crying more.

"...oh..You're still awake Princess Yona?"

'Th-that voice?' I looked up and my eyes widened.

'Soo-won?!'

A/N So first chapters up! YAY! I was too excited to write this XD It's now past 3am. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.


	3. Chapter 2

**~Tsukiko's POV~**

'Soo-won killed Father.' I thought clenching my fists, and glaring at Soo-won.

"S-Soo-won...Father...is...Hurry...call a doctor.." Yona-nee pleaded weakly.

'He's gone Yona-nee. Soo-won killed him.' I thought angrily.

"Emperor Il's eyes will never open again. I killed him." Soo-won spoke staring at Yona-nee with dead eyes. My body trembled with rage as the two continued to speak. Obviously they had forgotten that I was here, which was great on my part. Sneak attacks are always the best. Suddenly the doors burst open.

"LORD SOO-WON! We have everything prepared...Oh...this is...the king..So you've achieved your long cherished wish, huh?" One of the guards spoke, his attention was then drawn to Yona-nee who was crying on the floor next to Father.

"Hm? Lord Soo-won, this girl..is she Princess Yona?" Someone else asked. My body tensed and seemed to become more alert.

"Could it be that the Princess saw? Well then, we can save an explanation. Kill her, Lord Soo-won. Shut the Princess' mouth." Someone that seemed to have the power of a general ordered.

"Even if she continues to live on, she will only suffer, right?" The mysterious person spoke. Soo-won drew his sword slowly. My body moved on it's own and I stood in front of Yona-nee spreading my arms wide.

"I won't let you touch her!" I shouted glaring into his eyes. He seemed to flinch and stepped back surprised.

"Princess Tsukiko..?" He spoke quietly.

'I need to get us past those guards. Gotta run like the wind.' I looked around the room for any openings. I smirked as I saw the perfect spot, taking a deep breath I focused all my senses on getting us away from this room. Quickly I turned around and dashed past all the guards, making sure to grab Yona-nee of course. She was stumbling behind me, she couldn't keep up.

"Come on Yona-nee! We need to find Hak!" I pleaded hoping she'd snap out of it. Of course she didn't and not long after we had escaped we got caught again. Yona-nee had been caught by a whip and had fallen to the floor, taking me with her obviously.

"Surrender yourself Princess. This is for the sake of Kouka Kingdom as well." A guard stated as he stepped towards us pulling out his sword.

'Forgot about me again.' I smirked and quickly tackled the guy with the sword to the ground. Although it didn't take much for him to throw me back to the ground. Tears sprung to my eyes as he somehow managed to cut my side. The same guard stepped towards us again pulling out his sword.

'Shit, what can I do?' I thought frantically, until Hak came to mind, taking a deep breath I shouted as loud as I could.

"HAK!" I screamed, not even seconds later Hak appeared cutting down the guards surrounding us. I sighed in relief but collapsed to the ground clutching my side. Blood was seeping through my fingers. Yona-nee was staring at Hak in a daze, tears streaming down her face.

"Yona-nee." I called out weakly. Her head snapped towards me and her eyes widened. She crawled towards me and placed my head in her lap.

"Tsukiko. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She kept repeating over and over. I smiled and lifted my hand to her cheek wiping away her tears.

"I'm okay Yona-nee. I'll be perfectly fine. Don't worry." I assured her cheerfully. She just stared at me in a daze.

"What the hell is going on?" Hak's voice snapped us out of our daze.

"Hak!/Ha-Hak.." Me and Yona-nee said at the same time. He turned towards us and his eyes widened when he looked at me clutching my side. I just smiled. He knelt down next to us, focusing more on Yona-nee.

'I ship it.' I thought smiling.

"I apologise for leaving your side, Princess Yona." He apologised looking into her eyes.

"Hak...You're on my side..?" Yona-nee asked hesitantly. Hak's eyes widened and he looked at me to see if I was okay.

'Well I'm bleeding from a cut in my side. It won't kill me but I might pass out. I'm completely okay.' I thought deadpanning. Instead of speaking my mind I just stuck my thumb up and grinned. He smiled and chuckled but turned serious again and he stood to face Soo-won.

"I was told by his Majesty to protect you both, no matter what happens...I will obey him completely!" He answered confidently. I nodded my head approvingly and smiled.

'Why do I keep smiling? Not really the time.' I thought to myself.

"Draw back servant. You are standing before Emperor Soo-won, the King of Kouka Kingdom from this point on." The guy from before ordered. I clenched my fists and glared at the guy, it kinda looked like he flinched.

"Who did you say the king is? No wonder I had such a bad feeling. Lord Soo-won...where is Emperor Il?" Hak asked.

"A moment ago I sent him to hell." Soo-won answered. The looked on his face..it looks like he has no soul. Probably doesn't, I hate him. I smirked when Hak smashed his glaive into the ground, which caused a small crater.

'Ohhh now you've done it.' I thought smirking more.

"Have you gotten drunk? That's going too far, even as a joke." Hak spoke angrily.

"You may ask Princess Yona and Princess Tsukiko. Because they both witnessed the death of the king with their own eyes." Soo-won spoke, his voice lacked any emotion as he stared into Hak's soul. Hak being very enraged swung is glaive at Soo-won, who somehow countered it with his sword.

 **(A/N Because I'm lazy I'm just gonna put in the dialogue from the manga without saying who it is. Bold is Hak and** _Italics is Soo-won._ **If someone else talks then I'll have Tsukiko comment or something. I don't know.** _)_

 **"TELL ME THE TRUTH!"**

 _"I'm not lying."_

 **"SOO-WON!"**

 **"You seriously killed the king?! You killed..that kind and gentle king?!"**

"Lord Soo-won let me take it from here." Some weak looking soldier or guard interrupted.

'Please you don't even reach Hak's feet in power.' I scoffed rolling my eyes.

 _"Stand down. Your head will fly off if he comes near you. Standing before you is the trump card of Hiryuu Castle. The Fifth General, Son Hak."_

"Hak?! Rumor has it he's the Thunder Beast of Kouka." The guards began to whisper between themselves.

 **"Why? Why are you taking the throne by force? No, you're not someone who attaches himself to things like status, right? You wielded a sword against a delicate King who despised weapons? Your pride allowed that?!"**

 _"This Nation has no need for a weak King."_

 **(A/N Gonna stop being lazy now.)**

Soo-won swung his sword at Hak who easily intercepted it, he quickly countered and managed to cut Soo-won on the shoulder. Yona-nee was crying again, probably over the fact Soo-won is getting hurt.

"WAIT! That's as far as you go." A guard said as he and a bunch of others surrounded us pointing their spears at Hak.

'Woah, when did these guys get here.' I thought looking around wide eyed.

"Are you alright Lord Soo-won?" A guard asked him. He got no answer.

"Soo-won, was the Soo-won that I saw an illusion? I thought I could leave the Princess in your care, if it was you." Hak said. Tears sprung to my eyes as he finished.

'Hak...' I thought sadly letting the tears fall down my face.

"I was never the Soo-won you knew to begin with. If anyone stands in my way, I will eliminate them. No matter who they are." Soo-won said.

'Man I hate him more and more as time goes on.' I thought angrily. Just then an arrow landed near us catching everyone's attention. I smirked and stood up just as Hak dashed past grabbing Yona-nee by the waist. I easily ran behind him dodging guards left and right.

"General! General Hak! This way!" My eyes lit up as I heard Min-soo, I ran over to him and clung onto him.

"Min-soo!" I cheered happily, he smiled and chuckled softly.

"Hello Tsu." He greeted ruffling my hair.

"Was the arrow your Min-soo? That poorly shot one?" Hak snickered.

"His Majesty is..." Min-soo started

"Yes." Me and Hak finished together knowing what he wanted to ask.

"I heard the conversation before. Princess is his majesty truly dead?" Min-soo asked Yona-nee. As a result she began crying again. She looks like a doll, her eyes seem dead.

"Is that so..? I am truly sorry. It's hard to believe, just a little while ago was smiling and looked so happy at the Princess' birthday celebration." Min-soo said looking down. In the distance I could hear guards searching for us.

"It's only a matter of time before they find us." Hak told us looking at a pair of guards as they patrolled not too far away from us.

"I'll create a way for you three to escape. Please escape from this castle." Min-soo said seriously. My head snapped towards him, eyes wide and tears already falling down my face.

"No! Min-soo you can't!" I shouted hugging him tightly.

"The troops that came with Lord Soo-won and the troops who support Lord Soo-won have have gathered at Hiryuu Castle. We'll be killed for sure if we're caught." Hak explained.

"Where will we go? Even though Father was crying tears of joy at the banquet, I didn't say a word to him, I didn't say thank you. This is my Father's castle. If Father has been overthrown, where will I go?" Yona-nee asked in a daze and crying again.

"I'm still alive you know." I said raising my hand. This time even Hak and Min-soo didn't take notice of me.

"Guess it doesn't mean much to you, huh?" I asked crying silently. Hak was hugging Yona-nee when I looked up.

"You can go anywhere as long as you survive. That is how you can best repay his Majesty." Hak comforted.

'Or you could try to be there for me.' I thought sighing. I wonder if I'll ever meet someone that acknowledges my existence.

"This leads to the mountains." Min-soo said having lead us to the back gates.

"Alright." Hak replied. Suddenly we heard yelling and footsteps coming our way.

"I'll lead them away." Min-soo said turning away from us. I reached my hand out for him.

"Min-soo!" Yona-nee shouted.

"Princess, please be safe." He said to her before he ran away. Tears poured continuously down my face.

'He didn't even notice that I was here. I love Yona-nee..but why do I have to live in her shadow?' I thought crying.

"THERE!"

"OVER THERE!" People were shouting now having seen Min-soo. I turned to where I heard the shouting and saw a guard pointing his arrow at Min-soo.

"No." I whispered quietly as I watched the arrow sore through the sky and straight towards Min-soo's back. As it hit him he seemed to fall in slow motion, I turned away not being able to look any longer.

'I'm sorry Min-soo.' I thought as I followed Yona-nee and Hak out the gates.

 **A/N WOOOOOO! Chapter 2 up the same day as chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusanagi Mizuho does.**


	4. Chapter 3

**~Tsukiko's POV~**

We had been walking through the forest for a while now and my side was beginning to hurt. It had stopped bleeding but I'm pretty sure it may be infected or something. Suddenly Yona-nee collapsed. Hak quickly ran over to her.

"Princess...Princess Yona. Do you need to take a short break?" Hak asked kneeling next to her. She didn't answer but we stopped anyway. I sighed and lent my back against the tree next to Yona-nee.

'I should look at my side.' Nodding to myself I moved the cloak Hak had given me and shifted so I could see the wound properly. There was dried blood all around it so it was hard to tell how deep it was. I sighed again and closed my eyes.

"Did Min-soo..die?" Yona-nee asked making me flinch and tear up.

"I wonder..will I die too? Will Soo-won..kill you too?" She continued.

"I'll never hand my life over to that asshole." Hak replied. I nodded.

'Good answer Hak. I agree.' I thought smiling despite the situation.

"Don't die Hak, because if you die, I won't forgive you." Yona-nee ordered while falling asleep.

"I won't forgive you either Hak. Although I know you won't die." I said looking over at him and smiling. But he was too focused on Yona-nee to hear me.

"It's still hard to believe, you left the Princess all alone, you good for nothing King." He spoke to my deceased Father. My eyes widened and tears flowed freely down my face.

"But she's not alone Hak..she has me..please don't forget about me Hak." I pleaded sobbing, of course I went unnoticed, which made me cry harder.

"Hey, your Majesty, what should I do..?" Hak spoke to himself. He seemed to go into a daze as he sat there staring at Yona-nee.

'I wonder if they'd notice if I left...Probably not.' I thought crying myself to sleep.

 **~Tsukiko's dream~**

I was in a dark room all by myself, looking around there didn't seem to be anything here. Just me and a dark space. My body began to tremble, I hate being alone in the dark. I fell to the floor clutching my head.

'Yona-nee, Hak, someone please help.' I pleaded crying loudly. Suddenly I was blinded by a light. When the light died down my Father stood there.

"Father!" I cried happily, but he didn't hear me.

"Father! I'm here! Father!" I cried and cried. But he seemed to get further and further away.

"Don't leave me please..." I sobbed. The room was filled with light again and then there stood Yona-nee and Hak. They were smiling at each other and laughing.

"Yona-nee!" Nothing. No response at all.

"Hak!" Again no reply.

"Please! I'm here!" I pleaded again. But just like Father they got further and further away from me and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't get there attention. I'm invisible. No one will see me. I cried louder and louder. Sobbing harder. I screamed loudly.

"Why?! Why won't people see me?! Why is it always Yona-nee?!" I shouted loudly, asking anyone to answer me.

"She's the favourite." My eyes widened and my head snapped towards the voice. It was Father.

"She's the oldest, she'll get the throne therefore she over shines you. You're just her shadow." Father spoke calmly.

"That's not true! It can't be true! Father please!" I pleaded again. But he disappeared and was replaced by Min-soo.

"Min-soo!" I shouted smiling. But he didn't smile at me like he usually does.

"Princess Tsukiko you can never be like Princess Yona. She's far prettier." He said his voice speaking fondly of Yona-nee.

"What are you talking about? Why are yo being like this? You've been my best friend!" I cried.

"It was all to get to Princess Yona." He smiled. I shook my it was Hak that appeared.

"You're too quiet. That's not appealing to anyone." Hak smirked. My eyes widened.

"Not you too Hak." I backed up.

"I always preferred Princess Yona." He stated bluntly. He disappeared and the room became black again.

"She's the favourite."

"She's prettier."

"She's more confident."

"You're just her shadow."

"You can't be like her." They chanted over and over again.

"Stop it please..." I pleaded quietly having lost any will to fight back. Everything they said is true.

 **~Back to the real world~**

I woke up and looked over to Yona-nee and Hak, he was wiping away her tears while she slept. Even in her sleep she's pretty. I'll never be like her. Slowly I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. As tears rolled down my cheeks I buried my head in my arms and sobbed quietly.

'I wonder if anyone will think of me more than my sister.' I thought crying harder. My chest started hurting and it was difficult to breathe. Suddenly there was a weight on my head, which made me jump, I looked up to see Hak staring down at me in concern.

'Don't pretend you care Hak, you forgot about me this whole time.' I thought looking away and crying more.

'I'm such a crybaby.'

"Tsukiko what's wrong?" Hak asked kneeling in front of me. I just kept quiet.

"Is it your Father?" He asked again. I shook my head.

"You forgot about me...didn't you Hak?" I whispered, this caught him off guard.

"Of course not. How could you think that?" He replied, I just scoffed.

"Earlier you said that Father left Yona-nee by herself..." I answered quietly. His eyes widened.

"And when I said she had me you didn't take any notice.." I added pulling myself into a tighter ball.

"Is it because Yona-nee is better?"

"She's prettier, thinner, more confident. Am I not good enough?" I listed off quietly. My head was lifted and I was made to look Hak in the eyes.

"None of that is true Tsukiko." He said softly.

"Then why do people forget me as soon as Yona-nee does or says something?" I asked. He froze not knowing how to answer.

"It's true. I'm just Yona-nee's shadow. No one would notice if I even disappeared would they?!" I shouted. Hak quickly pulled me into a hug.

"Don't say things like that Tsukiko. I would definitely notice. You know I would." He answered softly stroking my hair.

"I have to go and get some water, stay here okay?" He ordered. I nodded and curled back up into my ball. Not long after Hak left Yona-nee woke up. She looked around frantically, searching for Hak probably.

"Yona-nee. It's okay he went to get water." I spoke quietly. Of course she didn't listen and kept looking around, until Hak came back with the water and she started crying again.

"Yona-nee..." I called her name softly as I crawled over to her and hugged her tightly. She flinched and looked down at me. Her eyes widened and she hugged me back.

"Tsukiko. . ." She kept repeating my name over and over.

"It's okay Yona-nee. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here." I comforted her quietly. She smiled slightly and we began to walk through the forest again, this time I held Yona-nee's hand.

 **~Time skip to wherever they are at the beginning of chapter 5~**

We sat around a fire, Hak was sitting on a log, Yona-nee was sitting on a rock and I was sitting on the floor next to Yona-nee leaning against her side.

"Aren't you going to eat Princess?" Hak asked her as he tried to pass her a cooked fish. I had finished what I wanted to eat and was relaxing a bit. She didn't answer though, just stared ahead of her in a daze.

"If you don't want fish, would you prefer bird instead?" Again nothing but silence.

"Yona-nee you need to eat something." I spoke quietly looking up at her.

"Tsukiko is right. You need to eat something, even if it's just a little. The next mountain pass will be more dangerous. I don't know if I'll be able to find food. You really should have some fish now." Hak explained, but she just stared of into space.

"Hak I'll take her to the pond to clean up a bit." I said standing up and grabbing Yona-nee's hand. He nodded in reply and I led us towards the pond. Once we were both in the pond I began washing off the dry blood from my wound. As it got cleaner I began to see that the cut went from my belly button to my hip, but luckily it wasn't deep and it isn't infected. I sighed in relief and dunked my head under the water. Yona-nee's scream made me quickly pop up to the surface. She was sat on the side staring at the leeches on her legs. Hak came rushing over to her and after there conversation quickly made his exit. We quickly made our way back to Hak.

"Princess Yona, Tsukiko, Let's move quickly. We need to cover a lot of ground before the sun sets." He explained. I nodded my head and grabbed Yona-nee's hand pulling her along as I followed Hak.

 **~Time skip again~**

"We'll rest here for tonight." Hak said, I smiled and sat on the floor huffing slightly. Yona-nee seemed to stare at the bugs crawling around.

"Don't worry. The insects are harmless. The leeches before were thrown back into the pond." Hak explained, I nodded my head in agreement, but Yona-nee was too busy trying to find something that she didn't notice us say anything.

"What's wrong? Did you lose something?" Hak asked, his face is blank. She shook her head in reply.

'Does he know something?' I asked myself. But shrugged it off as we sat down around a fire again. Suddenly Yona-nee stood up, but Hak stopped her, although he let her go quickly.

"Hak I'll follow her." I offered smiling. He nodded and I got up quickly chasing after her. I found staring at a snake, I quickly rushed over and stepped in front of her, getting bitten instead of her. My leg collapsed from under me and I groaned.

'Crap was that a poisonous snake?' I asked myself, I looked down to see more snakes coming towards us.

'Fuck. Well I know what this calls for.' I deadpanned

"HAK!" I shouted loudly. Just like every time we need him he showed up not even seconds later. He began yelling at Yona-nee, however saw the impending doom and picked Yona-nee up.

"Tsukiko come on." Hak ordered, I nodded and tried to stand, only to stumble.

'Shit. No I'm good. I'm fine.' I quickly ran after Hak and Yona-nee, my leg was burning, but soon enough we were back at the camp. Hak was treating his snake bit, but me being me I kept it hidden. He was groaning in pain. Yona-nee was staring at him concerned.

'Still ship it.'

"I'm alright. I know how to treat venomous snake bites." Hak reassured her. Then pulled out a hair ornament and showed it to her.

"Was this what you were looking for?" He asked, she took the ornament into her trembling hands.

"I won't forgive Soo-won. But aside from that, I want you to live." Hak explained. I clapped and stood up.

"Great speech Hak. But I have a problem." I said sheepishly. He looked at me confused, until my leg gave out from underneath me and I fell. His eyes widened and he rushed to catch me. Yona-nee looked horrified.

"You see I may or may not have been bitten by a snake." I told him scratching my neck timidly.

"You idiot! Why didn't you tell me?! They were poisonous!" He shouted at me.

"I know, but I didn't want to worry you." I whispered. He sighed and put my head in Yona-nee's lap, I smiled at her but she she just went back into a daze. Although she started playing with my hair, it soothed me and I slowly fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning to Yona-nee and Hak talking. I rubbed my eyes as I slowly sat up.

"Well, now that we're all awake shall we get going?" Hak's voice asked.

"Uh..um..Hak?" - Yona

"Yes?" - Hak

"Why..did we go to the mountains? Any village below would have food and medicine." -Yona

"If we went to a village someone might find us." I answered having fully woken up now.

"Yes it's like what Tsukiko said, Some people are dangerous. Even if the villagers didn't know us, or the castle soldiers didn't know where we were, Soo-won could have sent out portraits of us." Hak explained in more detail.

"Then where are we going?" Yona-nee asked.

"I'm afraid now that the only place we can seek refuge, is the Wind Tribe's Capital, Fuuga." Hak answered, however Yona-nee looked confused. I smiled and cheered.

"Hak's hometown!/My hometown." Me and Hak answered at the same time.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona (sadly), Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	5. Chapter 4

**~Tsukiko's POV~**

We've been walking for a couple of hours and I am so bored. My leg is not being kind to be right now either. Sighing I continued to walk behind the two, obviously being slower due to the leg.

"Princess, Tsukiko. The Wind Tribe, is already in sight." Hak told us.

"YAY!" I shouted jumping around. Hak chuckled and Yona-nee laughed. I calmed down and we kept going. Not long after we stood at the gates.

"This is the Capital, Fuuga." Hak announced, I grinned and pulled Yona-nee towards the entrance.

"Hak...Are those the guards?" I asked tilting my head. His face turned blank and he kicked them, I laughed watching them fly and hit the wall behind them.

"What was that?" The blonde with freckles asked as he turned towards us. The other guy was crouched rubbing his head.

"Does this tribe think patrolling is when you take afternoon naps?" Hak asked, this caught the freckled guys attention as he made a sound of surprise.

"Lord Hak?" He asked.

"Yo." Hak replied casually, making me giggle into my hand.

"Heh, it's been so long. About 10 years, right? Why're you here?" The black haired guy now known as Tae-woo asked.

"Was the general fired? Oh well, there's always next time." The freckled guy now known as Han Dae added.

"It's been 3 years. Lazy as usual." Hak deadpanned.

"We are the Wind Tribe. We live as free as the wind-" Han Dae explained wiggling his arms, probably pretending to be wind, Tae-Woo joined in too.

'These guys are funny.' I thought laughing.

"Who sent these guys out to patrol?" Hak asked casually. At this point I was rolling on the floor clutching my side, from laughing so hard. Suddenly all these people came out of no where and surrounded us. I shyly hid behind Hak not wanting to be noticed, this is where being invisible to people comes in handy. My hand trembled as I gripped onto the back of Hak's robe. They quickly took notice of Yona-nee and began bombarding her with questions, she looks pale, my eyes widened as she wobbled and collapsed unconscious. Hak immediately moved over to pick her up, leaving me out in the open.

'Please don't notice me.' I kept repeating in my head. Hak and Han Dae rushed off to take care of Yona-nee and sadly that's when all attention went to me.

"Who's she?"

"Look at her hair. It's silver."

"Was she here the whole time."

"She looks young."

"Is she related to that other girl."

'I don't like all this attention. Hak or someone please help.' Tears began to gather in my eyes as my body trembled and I stepped back and away from them. Unfortunately I had bumbed into someone.

"Woah there." He said teasingly smiling at me.

"Sorry." I apologised quietly to Tae-Woo.

"She's so quiet." People began to whisper about me again. Not wanting the attention anymore I quickly ran away, I spotted a tree in the distance and ran faster until I was standing next to it. I sighed as I sat against the tree with my legs pulled to my chest.

'Man I hate crowds.' I thought laying my head in my arms.

"You sure are fast." Someone commented making me lift my head quickly.

'It's Tae-Woo.'

"You okay? You ran out of there like the wind." He asked chuckling to himself. I nodded and looked away from him.

"I just don't like crowds of people." I answered quietly. He laughed and crouched in front of me.

"You came with Hak, right? and the girl with red hair?" He asked again, I nodded my head in reply.

"I'll take you to her room." He offered, I smiled and stood up.

"Thank you." I again said quietly, bowing my head slightly. He chuckled and ruffled my hair. As we began walking I realised I hadn't introduced myself.

'I can't tell him who I really am.' I thought sadly. But smiled and cleared my throat making him turn his head in my direction.

"I didn't introduce myself. I'm Tsu. It's nice to meet you Tae-Woo." I told him smiling. He smiled back and wrapped his arm around my neck.

"Well Tsu, it's good to meet you too." He grinned, still having his arm around my neck. The walk to Yona-nee's room was filled with jokes and laughter. Soon enough we got to Yona-nee's room, but Han Dae was crouched outside the door listening in on a conversation going on. Tae-Woo followed suit while I just stood to the side. The silence didn't last long as something happened in the room that made Han Dae and Tae-Woo slam the door open and shout something about being probably friends. They both began crying as the sat by the door.

"That can't so you're not lovers or sweethearts." - Tae-Woo

"At least not yet they're not." I commented.

"If they're just friends then she doesn't see anything more in him. Poor Lord Hak's feelings, are super unrequited-" Han Dae added only to be crushed by Hak's glaive.

"I definitely ship them though." I whispered leaning over to Tae-Woo. He laughed in reply.

"Do you want your eyes gouged out?" Hak threatened, his hair casting a shadow over his face, I hid behind Tae-Woo as he and Han Dae cowered in fear.

"Who're friends?" Hak asked

"Eh? Then an attendant.." Yona-nee being the clueless person she is answered.

'Oh Yona-nee.' I thought shaking my head. Suddenly I couldn't see anything. Someone was covering my eyes with something.

"Hey what's going on?" I asked trying to pry the hands off my face.

"There's nothing going on that Tae-Yeon can't see!" Hak shouted angrily, slowly the hands were removed from my face and I saw Hak stomping on Tae-Woo. Giggling I turned to who had covered my eyes, to find Han Dae siting behind me. I tilted my head to the side confused by he just chuckled and ruffled my hair.

"Lena. At the castle, what kind of person is my brother?" The little boy that I guess is called Tae-Yeon asked.

"I don't know about my brother since he became a General to protect the Princess when I was just 3 years old."

"Hak at the castle is..."She paused thinking of what to say

"He's rude. Ah, no...insensitive...um..has a bad attitude, oh and not cute at all, and-" Yona-nee listed, me, Tae-Woo and Han Dae were laughing our heads off.

"Oookay, enough we understand." Hak had interrupted her.

"Miss Lena, you're the best" Tae-Woo and Han Dae laughed clutching their sides.

"N-N-N-Not cute at all! You're not cute!" Han Dae repeated laughing harder.

"You seem to be having fun Han Dae come here." Hak ordered angrily, though Han Dae did the exact opposite and ran away screaming. I looked at Hak to see him staring at Yona-nee, I smirked and snuck up behind him.

"You like her, don't you Hak?" I whispered into his ear making him jump and turn towards me. He smirked at me and starting chasing me, I ran away with my hands in the air.

"Kyaaaa! Someone save meee!" I screamed running out of the room and into the hallways.

 **~Time skip~**

I was walking around with Yona-nee when a lady starting calling for her.

"Lena! Lena dear!" I nudged Yona-nee to get her to respond.

"Oh! Yes?" She replied hesitantly.

"You're quite a spacey girl. Did you get a good sleep yesterday? I heard you're a castle court lady. You were kicked out of the castle because you couldn't cook, sew, clean or sweep, do laundry, play an instrument, or dance and you were sent here to train? You should give up trying to become a woman already!" The lady explained laughing. Yona-nee looked speachless.

"Pfftt. Ahahaha!" I broke down laughing. She just huffed and turned away from me.

"Anyway we'll teach you from the beginning. First wash these." The lady ordered. I quickly grabbed some of the pile to help Yona-nee. She smiled in thanks and asked how she is supposed to wash them.

"You wash them in the river obviously." The lady replied walking away.

"The river.." Yona-nee repeated. Hak suddenly appeared out of no where and took most of the pile that Yona-nee was left carrying.

"Over here, Miss Court Lady." Hak instructed, Yona-nee kept quiet but followed him anyway. I trailed behind the two, smiling as they talked between themselves. Soon enough we reached the river, but as I walked over to it I found it dried up.

"Hak...the river.." I tried telling him. Me being the quiet person I am he didn't hear me. But Yona-nee informed him so all is good. Other than the fact the river is dry.

'Isn't the river their source of water. Well shit. That's not good.' I thought.

Hak sent Han Dae down stream to see what's going on, but until then we play the waiting game.

'What is Hak writing in the dirt?' I asked myself, but before I could look people were shouting about Elder Mundok being back, which Hak and Yona-nee shoot up and run over. I hung back fiddling with my sleeves.

"Thank goodness. Thank goodness you were safe. I didn't want to believe it, but the King passed away, and you and Hak had to run away from the castle, huh? I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you at that time." Gramps apologised hugging her tightly.

'Forgotten again.' I thought sighing.

"I can't breathe." Yona-nee told him.

"Oh! You've become a little thin haven't you?" Gramps asked.

"No, I've been given lots of warm and delicious food. It's the first time I've had food that delicious. The wind tribe is warm and reassuring just like Mundok." Yona-nee explained fondly. Gramps smile, but turned to the side quickly.

"Hak-" He started but was cut off.

"Yo. Gramps." Hak greeted.

"You're going to avert my loving embrace, huh?" Gramps asked reaching out to Hak.

"I am accepting it. With my fingertip." Hak smirked.

"Grandpa, Me too! Me too!" Tae-Yeon cheered holding his arms out.

"Also Gramps are you you forgetting a certain young silver haired Princess?" Hak asked looking over at me. Gramps looked over in my direction and his eyes widened. I smiled shyly and waved, he quickly rushed over to me and engulfed me in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Tsu." He apologised hugging me tighter. I wrapped my arms around him and cried into his chest.

"It's okay Gramps, I forgive you." I whispered. He pulled away and wiped my tears.

"I'm so glad you're okay. Not that you can't handle yourself." He grinned, I grinned back and puffed out my chest, putting my hands on my hips.

"You know it." I replied confidently. He laughed and ruffled my hair. I looked over at Hak who was smiling and gave him my biggest grin to say thank you. He nodded in reply, however the fun atmosphere didn't last long as Han Dae came back but was very injured. Me knowing my fair share about medicine and treating people, I quickly ran over to help him. As everyone was talking about what had happened I dragged Han Dae to some place quiet where I could treat him comfortably. Tae-Woo tagged along to help with anything that I may need help with.

"Han Dae you need to be more careful." I stated quietly as I cleaned the blood from his forehead. Blood dripped from a wound in his head down over his eyes and off his chin. I had to clean basically his whole face it was all covered in blood. After I had cleaned all the wounds he had, I carefully wrapped them with a clean bandage, they have to be tight, but not too tight to be uncomfortable.

"There. All done." I told him smiling.

"Thanks Tsu." He replied ruffling my hair. I nodded and turned to Tae-Woo who was looking outside.

"Tae-Woo?" I asked tilting my head.

"Something feels off." He said simply. I tensed and ran outside and towards Yona-nee's room. I could hear the guys shouting from being me and trying to keep up. Obviously they couldn't I'm faster than normal people. When I got to the room I saw Tae-Yeon laying on the floor struggling to breath. Quickly I ran into the room and picked him up and placed him in my lap.

"Tae-Yeon has had bad lungs ever since he was very young. Sometimes he has difficulties breathing. If he drinks his medicine soon, then..." Mundok explained trailing off at the end.

"But the merchants who are supposed to deliver that medicine have not arrived yet." Hak added.

"Bad new!" Someone shouted as they slammed he door open.

"The merchants who were on their way here were attacked by someone!" The same person shouted. Everyone then began to frantically shout about the medicine.

"Someone just needs to quickly go and get some medicine for him. Simple as that. The fastest person here would be me. Han Dae is the fastest on horse back, but he's injured. Guess I'll have to go then." I mumbled to myself standing up and making my way out of the room. I quickly ran and got changed into a long sleeved undershirt, long pants, and a short robe overcoat thing. I also tied bandages around my ankles and wrists. As I stepped out the room Han Dae ran past me, quickly catching up to him I had him tell me where to go.

"Han Dae I'm going to get the medicine. You need to stay and rest." I ordered sternly. He looked shocked but agreed anyway knowing how fast I was. Once he told me where to go I set off as fast as I could.

 **Han Dae's POV (whhhuuuuutttt)**

I smiled as I watched Tsu run off quicker than I ever could to get the medicine for Tae-Yeon.

'I should tell Hak that she went instead of me.' I thought as I turned as ran back to the room everyone was in. They looked surprised when I entered the room.

"No way were you that quick Han Dae!" Tae-Woo shouted at me.

"I'm not going." I smiled.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.

"Tsu already left. She's faster than I am." I explained.

"WHAT?!" Hak, Mundok and Lena shouted.

"I agree that she's faster, but do you really think she's going to be alright?" Tae-Woo asked.

"I believe in her, and so should you guys. She's stronger than she seems. Don't judge a book by it's cover." I defended her. Everyone looked down.

"You know...even being her sister I hardly ever noticed her...I hardly know anything about her." Lena confessed looking down.

"It's true that not many people notice her, and I'm not going to lie and say that it hasn't gotten to her because it has, and sometimes she has breakdowns, but she's always been a bright and cheerful person. She helps wherever she can. Even if people don't thank her for it or know that she's done it, she does it because she wants to, not for recognition. There's more to her than a small, quiet, invisible 14 year old girl." Hak explained patting Lena on the head to reassure.

"I know for a fact that she doesn't hold anything against you. So don't beat yourself up about it. But now that you are aware of this. Make that much more effort to be the big sister you want to be, cause I guarantee that's all she wants." Hak smiled.

"Thanks Hak." She replied smiling up at him.

 **~Back to Tsukiko's POV~**

I've been running constantly for a couple of hours, it was dark already and if I were at the castle I'd be safely in bed sleeping. But weirdly enough, I prefer being away from the castle. Sure I miss it, but this is exhilarating, I love it. I want to travel around and help those in Kouka Kingdom that need it.

"I should be close." I panted wiping sweat from my head. Not even 5 minutes later I arrived at a small hut. Slowing to a stop I knocked on the door of the hut. Someone answered the door and smiled inviting me in. Knowing I didn't have time to waste I quickly explained to him what I needed and when he gave it to me I gave him the cash, making sure to get it for as low a price as possible. Bowing in thanks I began making my way back to the Capital Fuuga.

"Wait for me you guys. I'm on my way back." I pleaded pushing myself to go faster.

 **A/N aaaaaaand I'm gonna leave it here otherwise this chapter will be sooooo long. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I don't own Akatsuki no Yona Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	6. Chapter 5

**~Tsukiko's POV~**

All this running is exhausting, I love running but man this is excruciating. The sun was only beginning to rise and I was still running back to Fuuga. I hadn't slept yet and the only break I had from running was when I stopped at the medicine hut. It's a good thing my endurance is high otherwise I'd be dead, and luckily I haven't run into any bandits or anything. That would not help, I'd be way to tired to fight back or defend myself. Finally I could say Fuuga from the top of the hill I was on.

"Okay last sprint. I can do this. Worry about the consequences when you get back." I said to myself, after saying so I pushed of my right foot running as fast as I physically could, honestly I probably look like a blur to people. But there are no people so it's okay. Luckily I made it back to Fuuga in no time with my speedy running. I didn't bother stopping as I dashed through the gates and into the building that we were staying in, slowing down slightly I ran passed room after room until I somehow managed to stop in front of the room Tae-Yeon is in. Hurriedly opening the doors I stepped in panting and out of breath. Shakily I held out the medicine to Tae-Woo who just so happened to be in the room. He looked very surprised at my appearance.

"Thanks Tsukiko." He thanked me, I nodded and collapsed to the floor breathing heavily. It didn't take long for people to know I was here and soon they were all shouting about it. Han Dae, Yona and a guy I didn't know came rushing in.

"Mind the dead corpse guys." Tae-Woo spoke up.

"I'm not dead." I pouted.

"Good job Tsu! You were super quick!" Han Dae congratulated me. I just gave him a thumbs up feeling way too tired to do anything else. Everyone laughed at my lack of life and continued whatever they were doing. Squealing over Tae-Yeon is how it sounded. I don't know, I'm dead.

"Okay, I'm going to express my sympathy to the merchants, and then bury this corpse." Tae-Woo told them.

"Dammit Tae-Woo I'm alive." I whined. He didn't listen and just picked me up and slung me over his shoulder. Being too tired to fight back I went limp, he laughed and jogged to where the merchants were.

"You know you're really light, are you eating properly?" Tae-Woo asked as he gently set me down on a futon.

"Yes, I just lose weight easily." I explained opening my eyes, which widened when I saw the state of the merchants, I quickly stood up wanting to help, however that was not a good idea as I grew dizzy and my legs gave out from under me. Luckily Tae-Woo caught me before I hit the ground.

"I'm okay. I need to help." I told him pushing him away about to stand again. But he grabbed my shoulders firmly and pushed me back down.

"No. You need to rest." He ordered, I looked down and clenched my fists.

"Look I know you want to help but you can't in this state, your legs just went through hours of constant running and you need to rest them. Rest for half an hour and see how you feel afterwards, okay?" He knelt down in front of me looking me in the eyes, I nodded sadly and sat down comfortably. He ruffled my hair whilst smiling, before he walked away. I sighed and looked around. There was a guy not far from me, his arms was bleeding and needed to be treated, but everyone was busy helping others to help him.

'Where's Tae-Woo?' I asked myself looking around for him. Stopping him talking to Yona-nee I grinned, stood up and made my way over to the man. I made sure to grab a bucket of water, washcloth and bandages on my way over.

"Hi there." I greeted him as I knelt next to his injured arm. He jump at my sudden appearance but smiled anyway.

"Hey little girl, shouldn't you leave the medical stuff to people that know what they're doing?" He greeted, but the conversation quickly went south.

"Well sir, I'll have you know that I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing." I informed him as I cleaned his wound and his arm of the blood. I then proceeded to wrap the wound with a bandage.

"There. All done." I smiled, standing up and walking away, I kept helping out until I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see Han Dae looking at me with a disapproving expression.

"I'm fine Han Dae. Plus look at how many people I've been able to treat." I said before he could get a word in. He only sighed and patted my head.

"All right I'll let you off. Oh, I don't know if you're aware, but Hak and Lena are preparing to leave." He told me calmly.

"What?!" I shouted.

"So they didn't tell you..?" He asked hesitantly. I shook my head.

"No...they probably forgot..." I whispered, tears starting to fall down my face. He quickly wiped my tears and hugged me.

"Hey now, don't cry. I'm sure they didn't forget. Maybe they want you to stay here." He tried to cheer me up.

"But I don't want to stay here. I want to go with them!" I sobbed loudly.

"Then go." He said softly. I looked up at him, he just smiled and pushed me towards the doors.

"Go Tsu. We here at the Wind Tribe will never forget you. You're part of our family now." He grinned. More tears fell down my face as I smiled. Quickly wiping the tears I hugged him and ran out the doors. I sped towards the weaponry wanting a bow and arrows, I also grabbed a Katana while I was there. Sure I don't know how to use them, but I'm a fast learner. I also grabbed a cloak and sped towards the gates. I saw the pair about to leave, Gramps was seeing them off.

"HEY!" I shouted, making them stop in their tracks.

"Aren't you forgetting something?!" I shouted crossing my arms.

"We didn't forget you Tsu. You're staying here." Yona-nee said sternly.

'They don't want you with them.' Not the negative voice again.

"No!" I shouted again.

"I'm going with you! I don't want to stay here! It's lovely and all but I want to stay with you." I said seriously. Hak's eyes widened. I don't know why, but so did Gramps' and Yona-nee's.

"Alright. But I'm not obliged to protect you." He smirked.

"You never were Hak." I smirked back.

"Plus I can protect myself." I told him strongly. He rolled his eyes and turned away.

"Whatever let's go." He ordered waving his hand over his shoulder. I cheered and ran after him and Yona-nee.

 **A/N I don't know if this is too short, but if I carry on it's gonna be really long. So I'm stopping here. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	7. Chapter 6

**~Tsukiko's POV~**

Gramps told us to find a priest that lives in the mountains. We had left Fuuga a while ago and we're now taking a break to think about where this priest might be.

"Hak, are you looking at something?" Yona-nee asked Hak, who did indeed look like he was looking for something.

"Nothing. That old man, how does he expect us to find a person who we don't even know the location of?" he asked looking out into the distance. I shrugged and rested my head on Yona-nee's shoulder.

"The priest, huh? I heard that from long ago the priest lived in a palace shrine and worked closely with the country's politics-" Hak began to explain, but I cut him off.

The priest left the castle because uncle Yu-Hon oppressed him, and now lives quietly in a place far away from the population." I finished frowning. Yona-nee looked at me wide eyed, and Hak looked impressed.

"I read a lot of books about the Kingdom." I shrugged.

"He's secluded from populated areas...so we came here to look, but this doesn't look like a place where people can live in the first place." Hak said

"Well, if you lived here, you would probably tumble off a cliff right away, but others could live somehow." He teased casually, I laughed and nudged Yona-nee making her glare at me.

"Hey, shut up." She pouted. I laughed harder clutching my sides.

"But in mountains as cold as these?" She asked tilting her head.

"The Northern land that the fire tribe controls is even more barren." I explained.

"Nobody bothers with this place, so it may surprisingly be a fine place to live." Hak added standing up.

"Anyway, Princess, Tsukiko. Unless we come across something in the vicinity, we'll have to sleep outdoors, what do you want to do?" Hak asked.

"Outdoors? We're used to it." Me and Yona-nee replied looking at each other.

"It's not like the mountains by the castle. It's freezing here." Hak added swinging his glaive around.

"Then I'll nestle up against you to sleep." Yona-nee told him innocently. This made Hak fling his glaive somewhere. I quickly ran off to get it, and as I picked it up I felt vibrations on the floor. Not like earthquake vibrations, but light vibrations.

"Maybe...footsteps?" I asked myself standing up with Hak's weapon.

"Hak!" I shouted running over to him and my sister. Although what I saw made me freeze in place. Hak had Yona-nee trapped against the wall.

"Um..Hak? What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly.

"Soldiers." Hak stated making me stand straight and alert.

"I didn't think they were pursuing us anymore. But then again, we shouldn't be surprised. Princess. If you nestle close to sleep with me, but don't do a better job at hugging me." **(Does this make sense to anyone? It's the same dialogue as the manga, but...)** Hak teased lifting her hood over her head.

"I won't have any interest in doing naughty things anyway." Hak added prancing towards me.

"What are you talking about?!" Yona-nee shouted.

"Here Hak." I said handing him his glaive. He nodded his head in thanks whilst taking the weapon from me.

"Well..I did my warm up. Shall we get to work?" Hak smirked.

"Yeah!" I cheered pulling out the katana that was hidden under my cloak. Hak stared but grinned and turned towards the soldiers that were getting closer to us.

"Don't let go of me, Princess. Tsukiko stay close." Hak ordered.

"Yes sir!" I saluted. The soldiers suddenly charged at us, but I wasn't worried. Hak swung hus glaive wiping out the incoming soldiers.

"So it really was you guys, huh? The Fire Tribe." Hak asked as Kan Tae-Jun stepped to the front.

"The Thunder Beast Raijuu is in good health, huh? General Son Hak and Princess Yona, as well. I, Kan Tae-Jun of the Fire Tribe have been waiting for this moment long ago." He seemed to go on, and on. But I'm glad he didn't notice me, gives me more time to observe the soldiers and their abilities.

'Front lines, average stamina, average sword skills, overall not much going for them. Shooters, low stamina, average at shooting, overall again not much going for them.' I thought scanning over as many soldiers as possible. Tae-Jun, Hak and Yona-nee were still talking.

'There's around 50 of them. 20 shooters, 30 front line soldiers. Too many for Hak to take on by himself while also protecting Yona-nee. If I can take out the majority of the shooters, it'll give Hak more freedom to move.' I planned out in my head. I was snapped out of my thoughts when the soldiers began to make their move. Quickly I found a blind spot, took out my bow and arrow and began taking down man after man. It didn't take long for them to spot me, which forced me out of my spot. Luckily I had taken down most of the shooters, there was only a coupled of them left.

 **~3rd Person POV~**

"Aim for the princess!" Someone shouted, quickly catching the attention of Tsukiko. She saw Yona on the floor and bolted over to her. Hak was doing the same thing, but he got there first, he crouched over her ready to take the hit. But it never came, Hak looked behind him to see Tsukiko standing protectively in front of the 2. Gripped tightly in her right hand was her Katana, more arrows were shot which Tsukiko easily stopped in their tracks.

"How long are you gonna continue to sit there?" She questioned the 2, snapping Hak from whatever daze he was in. He quickly stood up, grabbed Yona by her waist and jumped over the soldiers leaving Tsukiko to hold off the soldiers as he hid Yona.

"Give me everything you got!" Tsukiko smirked sliding her foot along the ground to get better footing. Battle cries were heard as several guards charged at her swinging their swords at her. She easily dodged moving quickly around them and striking back. Though she wasn't aware of the arrows being aimed at her until they hit her right upper arm, left shoulder blade and right thigh.

"Ah!" She shouted falling onto her left knee. A soldier took this as an opportunity to slash her back making her fall onto her front, dropping her weapon in the process.

"Shit, those arrows were poisoned." She spoke weakly. She tried standing up only to have her back slashed again. She cried out in pain and fell to her front again.

"Why did you come out?!" Hak shouted catching Tsukiko's attention. He was standing very close to the edge of the cliff.

"Hak.." She called out weakly, his head snapped towards her direction and his eyes widened when he saw the state she was in.

"Tsukiko!" He shouted running towards her. He swung his glaive knocking away all of the soldiers surrounding her fall to the floor. He quickly crouched down next to her.

"I'm sorry I left you Tsukiko. I shouldn't have been so focused on Princess Yona alone." He apologised picking her up and swinging her over onto his back.

"It's okay Hak. I'll be fine." She assured him weakly clutching onto his neck.

"Wait Hak, could you pass me my bow, arrows and Katana." She asked him. He nodded his head and quickly passed them to her. She strapped the bow and arrows around her back, hissing when they made contact with her wound. She then began defending Hak's back from being hit. Hak staggered forward dizzily making Tsukiko jump off his back and hold him but. But neither of them saw the sword come down on Hak or the soldier running towards them. Hak's chest was slashed while a soldier grabbed Tsukiko by the throat and dangled her over the side of the cliff.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Yona shouted swinging the sword she acquired around, this made the soldier let go of Tsukiko, but before she could plummet to her death Hak grabbed her hand.

"Hak! Tsukiko! I'm here to help now!" Yona shouted grabbing Hak's hand and trying to pull him up.

"You stupid idiot. Run away!" He ordered her.

"This is impossible for you. Hurry and get as far away as you can.." Hak told her struggling to hold himself up.

"Hak let me go." A small voice stated. Hak and Yona both stared at Tsukiko wide eyed.

"No way am I letting you go!" He shouted.

"You can't lift yourself up Hak. I'm only more weight that you don't need. I have no strength left to pull myself up either. Let. Me. Go." Tsukiko explained.

"No! Never! Hak..Tsukiko..if you die, I won't forgive you!" Yona shouted while crying.

 **~Back to Tsukiko's POV~**

"What are you doing?! Pull the Princess away from Hak!" Tae-Jun ordered.

'Soldiers are running to grab Yona-nee. She won't be able to hold Hak. She'll probably fall with us. Hak needs to protect her. I'll wait for the right moment and then have him let me go.'

"Hak...protect Yona-nee.." I ordered him quietly. He looked at me confused until his hand slipped and he saw Yona-nee fall over the cliff edge. I quickly pried my hand away from Hak's, he tried reaching out to me but I shook my head and smiled at him.

"Protect her." I repeated. He wrapped both of his arms around Yona as we plummeted down. I began to quickly think of how I could survive.

'Grabbing trees would break my arms, I'm falling too fast. However if I grab a branch, swing myself up, I could flip and try to land on another branch.' I came up with a plan. Which I quickly put into action as I neared a canopy of trees. Hak had grabbed a branch but ended up falling and crashing to the ground, knocking him and Yona-nee unconscious. Luckily my plan worked, but the poison is effecting me a lot, as well as the 2 sword wounds I have on my back.

'How am I going to get us all the treatment we need?' I thought frantically. But like the gods had answered my thoughts I heard someone singing, I silently jumped down from the tree I was in and crouched behind the tree.

"What a pain. A couple of people have kicked the bucket." Someone sighed. I took this as my cue and stepped out from my spot.

"They may look it but they're not dead."

 **A/N Finally Yoon is being introduced! Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	8. Chapter 7

**~Tsukiko's POV~**

"They may look it, but they're not dead." I told him, he jumped in surprise at my sudden appearance.

"And who are you guys?" He asked sassily. I smiled and bowed slightly.

"The names Tsukiko! Nice to meet ya!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Right...I'm Yoon." He said, probably a bit weirded out. He bent down next to the corpses, I mean Hak and Yona-nee.

Do you think you could maybe treat us?" I asked timidly. He looked at me wide eyed and nodded his head slowly.

"Sure. But wait, how are you still conscious? Did you not fall from the cliff?" He asked confused.

"Oh yeah I did. Just used my brain to not die. Unlike a certain person I know." I answered him staring at Hak. He chuckled and attempted to lift Hak up.

"I'll take the big guy. You take the girl." I laughed watching him struggle. He glared at me but didn't argue. With a bit of struggle I painfully carried/dragged Hak to where ever the boy was taking us.

"Just set him down over there." He told me as he placed Yona-nee not too far away. I nodded and carefully set Hak down, as I stood up I got dizzy and collapsed onto my knees.

"I'm gonna quickly run you over what's wrong with the 2. The big guy here got shot by a poisoned arrow, he also got slashed on his chest. Probably broke and arm and some ribs on the fall. The girl most likely just has a head injury and some minor cuts and bruises." I explained quickly, he nodded.

"Okay, but you seem to know a lot about medicine. Why don't you help?" He asked rudely.

"Well you see Yoon. I'm currently dying." I said collapsing onto my front.

"I should add that I've been shot by 3 poison arrows, and have 2 deep cuts on my back." I said sheepishly.

"Why didn't you say something before?!" He screamed at me running over.

"Well..I'd rather them be treated before me. They're more important." I smiled, he frowned and carefully picked me up setting me not far from the others.

"You're important to someone. Everyone is." He said walking away.

"No I'm not...I'm invisible.." I trailed of falling unconscious myself.

 **~Yoon's POV~**

"No I'm not...I'm invisible.."She had said before she fell unconscious.

'I wonder what she means by that.' I pondered. But shook it off and began to treat the big guy first. Then the red haired girl, and finally Tsukiko. She's probably the worst off but she wanted them treated before herself. She has a worse fever than the man.

"She's in pretty bad shape. There's so much poison in her system. She's lost a lot of blood from the wounds on her back. I cleaned and treated her the best I could.

'I'll give the red head some orange to sooth her.' I thought crawling over to her and doing just that. Not long after I started she woke up.

"You're awake? My hands were getting tired." I said while shoving the orange in her mouth.

"Hoo a u? (Who are you?)" She asked.

"I'm Yoon. I'm just a good-looking guy passing through. You can forget that. Anyway, who are you guys? You don't look like bandits, but you're quite persistent if you're alive after falling from that cliff." I inquired while grinding herbs, she sat up and rubbed her head.

"Cliff..? That's right we..Hak! Where's Hal?!" She suddenly shouted.

"Hak? Oh. If you mean that dark haired man that was with you, he's over there." I pointed him out.

"Hak!" She shouted again running over to him.

"He's alive. Just barely. I've managed to take care of the poison his body received. But with the sword cut on his chest, the bruises all over his body and the amount of broken ribs which caused internal bleeding, he would have died if i had treated him a moment later. He was probably shielding you when you two fell from the cliff. It looked like he was hugging you when you guys fell." I explained.

'I wonder how long it'll take her to remember that girl.' I thought, then my eyes widened and I frowned.

'Is that what she meant by her being invisible?' I asked myself, I sighed.

"That guy went through that much for you. What? Are you lovers?" I asked her, she quickly shook her head.

"No. Definitely not." She answered.

"Huh..that's too bad.." I trailed off.

"So is this the bottom of the valley? Do you live here?" She asked me.

"Yeah." Simple answer.

"Are you a doctor? There's someone I'm looking for, but..."

"Yoon! Yoon! Listen! Listen to what I have to say!" Damn Ik-soo and his clumsy nature.

"Hold it. Jeez! Why are you covered in mud?!" I shouted using my foot to keep him away from me.

 **~Third person POV~**

"While I was praying to the heavens for everyone to be happy, I slipped and fell!" - Ik-soo

"You're such a pain!" - Yoon

"The heavens have abandoned you!" Yoon added.

"That's harsh!" Ik-soo cried. Yona just looked like she was wondering what the hell is going on.

"You woke up! Thank goodness~~~" - Ik-soo

"How do you do? My name is I-soo. I'm kind of like Yoon's guardian." Ik-soo greeted.

"I'm-" Yona started but was cut off by Ik-soo

"Y-you've really suffered a lot, haven't you?" Ik-soo cried.

"No, I haven't. Hak shielded me, so.." Yona replied confused.

"No, I meant from the time you made the decision to start your trip." Ik-soo corrected her.

"Huh?" Yona said, very confused.

"Even more so for a person like you, Princess Yona." - Ik-soo

"Hold on, how do you know about me?" Yona asked.

"God told me tha-" He stopped, sweating from his mistake.

"Are you stupid? There's no point in living in seclusion if you tell others so casually." Yoon scolded him.

"It can't be.." Yona trailed off.

"Oh shoot! I wanted to look proper and neat when I greeted the Princesses" Ik-soo whined.

"You're the priest? I heard that Uncle Yu-Hon oppressed you, so I thought you would be more of an old man." Yona admitted, ignoring the fact he had used the word Princesses.

'They're both Princesses. That means they're sisters. But why hasn't she said anything?" Yoon thought to himself looking over at the silver haired girl.

"That was my predecessor. I'm his successor." - Ik-soo

"You knew I would be coming here, too?" - Yona

"Yes! it is my job to convey the voice of God to everyone. God teaches me everything about this world." - Ik-soo

"What job?! You don't make any money. You do nothing but kneel every single day. You were driven our of the castle because claiming to hear the voice of God was suspicious in the first place!" - Yoon

"Why was he driven out?" Yona asked clueless as ever.

"I'm rather shocked. You lived in the castle and you don't even know?" Yoon glared. Suddenly Hak groaned catching Yona's attention.

"Hak!" She shouted.

"Back away. He has a fever. His fever won't go down for a little while due to the surgery I performed. Tonight will be important." Yoon explained.

"Save Hak!" Yona demanded grabbing his arm.

"That's what I'm doing. It would be troublesome if he died. But I'm not a doctor. Don't think that helping you is what I'm supposed to do. You still haven't given a single word of gratitude. Have you ever even said a word of thanks to this guy? Even though he goes this far to risk his life for you?" Yoon asked her.

"And aren't you forgetting someone? Someone that cares for you more than herself? That feels they're unimportant compared to you?" Yoon added. But Yona wasn't listening. She just stared blankly at Hak.

"It's alright. He hasn't met the God of death yet. He will come back to you." Ik-soo tried to comfort her.

"Yoon, use kinder words." Ik-soo confronted Yoon.

"But I hate the King and his family. Plus she's completely disregarding her sister. Who is in a just a bad condition as this Hak guy." Yoon argued back.

"She too is struggling in her own way." Ik-soo countered.

 **~Time skip~**

Yona had gone out to search for the missing Hak and Tsukiko was just beginning to wake up.

"Ngh." She groaned sitting up on her knees, since she was lying on her front. She looked around the room expecting to see Yona or Hak worried for her.

"Of course they forgot. They always do." She whispered to herself.

"Hey, you should lay back down. Your wounds haven't healed yet." Yoon said kneeling next to the girl.

"I'm fine." She said quietly shifting so she was sat with her knees to her chest.

"She's your sister right? Princess Yona?" Yoon asked shocking the small girl. She leaned her head on her arms and looked at the floor.

"Yeah I am. But you had to figure that out yourself didn't you?" She asked turning to look at him. His eyes widened when he saw the depressed look in her eyes.

"Yeah...It was easy to figure out. I mentioned you to her a couple of times but she didn't respond. She didn't even seem to remember you." Yoon said casually leaning on his hands.

"I didn't expect her to remember me. She never does. Only when it benefits her. It's how it's always been." She smiled sadly.

"So when you said you were invisible..?" Yoon asked hesitantly.

"I meant it. Even my Father never knew when I was around him until someone said something or something happened. I'm just Yona-nee's shadow. I'm not important to anyone." She said looking at the floor again.

"I'd like to think it's because I'm quiet. I don't like people so I don't talk much and I try to avoid them. When I walk or run my footsteps can't be heard. But I'm starting to think that maybe I really am invisible. Easily forgotten and replaced." She added burying her face in her arms and crying silently. Yoon looked at the frail girl in front of him and felt saddened by her story.

"You know...I was expecting you to be stuck up, clueless and selfish like your sister. But I misjudged you. Just because you're a Princess doesn't mean you haven't felt pain. I'm sorry for judging you based on your status." Yoon bowed his head.

"It's okay Yoon. I know how my Father was like. He gave land away to stop war. He was against anything weapon related. It seems that he neglected parts of his kingdom and that's what I never liked about my Father. I don't understand why he'd just cast those people aside like they were unimportant. I used to read books on the kingdom, I learnt as many things as I could so that I could help the people that my Father didn't. So I understand where your hatred comes from, and you don't need to apologise."Tsukiko explained smiling at him. His eyes widened again and he smiled.

'I really misjudged her." Yoon thought smiling.

'He'll forget you like the rest. Yona over shines you.' Tsukiko clutched her head as negative voiced spun around in her head. Tears poured down her face again.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yoon asked reached out to her. But he didn't get an answer, she was too focused on the voices.

'What do I do?' Yoon asked himself genuinely concerned for her. Not being able to think of anything else he quickly pulled her to his chest, hugging her tightly and stroking her hair.

"Princess what's wrong?" He called softly.

"I get these voices in my head telling me negative things." She explained quietly sobbing.

"They said you'll forget me too...and it's true. Everyone does." She added crying more.

"I promise I won't forget you Princess." Yoon comforted her. Slowly Tsukiko calmed down and was beginning to fall asleep.

"Don't call me Princess..." She trailed off as she fell asleep in Yoon's lap.

"Alright Tsu." He smiled softly. He carefully placed her back on her futon, making sure she was sleeping on her front as to not aggravate her wounds. He sat against the wall next to her and fell into a peaceful sleep.

 **~Time skip~**

Everyone was awake including Tsukiko, but she still sat in the corner where she had slept the night before. Yoon kept glancing over at her whilst cooking the meat buns and talking to Hak and Yona. When Yona and Hak left to find the priest he walked over to her.

"Why don't you say something?" Yoon asked her.

"What's the point? I shouldn't have to remind them that I'm here." She sighed to herself. Yoon frowned, grabbed her hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Come on. You're coming withe me to find the others." Yoon ordered as he dragged her along with him. She smiled and gripped his hand tightly.

"Thanks Yoon." She spoke quietly.

"No need to thank me Tsu." He replied looking at her from the corner of his eye. The two walked in a comfortable silence, still holding hands. Soon they reached where everyone else was.

"If you want to live in this unstoppable scorching wave of bloodshed, I will convey the voice of God to you."

 **A/N How was it? I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona Kusunagi Misuho does.**


	9. Chapter 8

~Third person POV~

"Darkness has fallen upon the land. The blood of the dragons will revive once again and the ancient pact will be kept. When the four dragons are gathered the sword and shield which will protect he king shall awaken and the red dragon shall restore the dawn at last." Ik-soo said conveying the voice of God. He soon slumped the floor exhausted.

"C-Conveying the voice of God really takes a lot out of me." He added laying on the floor. Yoon had left Tsukiko's side to crouch next to the collapsed man.

"What a bothersome old man~" Yoon teased poking Ik-soo.

"This thing about dragons and god. I don't understand it. I'm not buying anything this crackpot dishes out. No matter what it is." Hak glared.

"He's not selling any." Yoon countered looking fed up.

"That prophecy just now, was it referring to the red dragon which appears in the legend about the king?" Yona asked Ik-soo

"Do you know about the legend of how this country was created?" Ik-soo asked back.

(Skipping the story cause I'm too lazy to type it all out.)

"The legend of how the country was created, what does it have to do with me?" Yona tilted her head confused.

"You said you wanted to live, right Princess Yona?" Ik-soo inquired.

"Yes." Yona stated.

"But you can't live alone. If you leave, those after your life will pursue you again. The person who is by your side and supporting you is Hak. But at this rate, Hak will die." Ik-soo explained. Tsukiko was sat underneath a tree not too far away from the group. She kept catching eyes with Yoon, which reassured her that he hadn't forgotten her.

'That's the longest anyone has ever remembered me for.' She thought smiling to herself.

"Just wait a minute. Don't just kill me off as you please. I didn't hear the voice of god say tha-" Hak started to complain, but was cut off when Yoon punched his shoulder.

"I'm not giving you any Alms, no matter how you threaten me." Hak said through the pain of Yoon pocking his side.

"As you can see. It's really dangerous for you right now. You need other comrades." Ik-soo informed her.

"But who..?" Yona asked.

"I'd like to say that it's not actually just you and Hak that came here." Yoon spoke harshly glancing over at Tsukiko who was looking off into the forest.

"Huh?" Hak and Yona both tilted their heads confused. The their eyes widened in realization.

"Tsukiko!" They both shouted concerned.

"Where is she? I haven't seen her." Yona got up in Yoon's face.

"That's because you forgot her. This whole time she's been close to you but you didn't even notice her." Yoon glared pushing her away. She looked down feeling tears spring to her eyes.

"Don't be so harsh Yoon!" Ik-soo shouted at him.

"No! You've been sticking up for her about forgetting her sister and even you did it! She isn't the only one with feelings! Tsu is her own person! She doesn't deserve the treatment she gets!" Yoon shouted back angrily. He then turned and walked away, they watched him kneel down in front of a tree then he ran off pulling along a girl adorning silver hair.

"I'm a terrible sister. She must have been hurt worse than both of us and we didn't even think about her." Yona whispered looking down.

~With Tsukiko and Yoon~

Yoon had pulled Tsukiko back to the hut they were staying in and was now pacing the room.

"Yoon calm down. It's fine. I'm used to it." Tsukiko tried to calm him. But it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"You shouldn't be used to something like this Tsu!" He shouted as he walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"You don't deserve the treatment you get. Just because you're not as confident or you're quiet. It doesn't justify what they've been doing." Yoon explained softly kneeling in front of her. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying it face in his shoulder as she began to cry. Yoon tensed at first but quickly relaxed and wrapped one arm around her waist and his free hand he used to stroke her hair.

"Thank you Yoon. You're the first person ever to remember me for this long. I didn't have to come to you this morning, you came to me." Tsukiko spoke softly.

"Of course. I am a genius pretty boy after all." Yoon replied confidently making Tsukiko giggle quietly.

"Tsukiko...Yoon..." A hesitant voice called, Yoon faced the entrance to see Yona standing there playing with her fingers. Tsukiko knew who it was by the voice so didn't look for who it was, besides she was still crying.

"What is it Princess Yona?" Yoon asked in an emotionless voice.

"I wanted to apologise to Tsukiko, for everything. I've not been a good sister. Even when we lost father and I promised myself I would be. It's just hard because you're so quiet." Yona explained, though the end of her sentence made Tsukiko cry more. Yoon was quick to comfort her as he glare at the Princess.

"Her being quiet has nothing to do with it. I've none her for a couple of days and I've noticed her the whole time. I've known she was here, even when she didn't say anything. If me, a basic stranger can remember her then you should too. You're just too focused on yourself and Hak to care about anyone else." Yoon glared hugging Tsukiko tighter as she trembled in his arms. Yona stared wide eyed with her mouth hung agape.

"I realise that apologising won't make up for what I've done, and I admit when we were at the castle that I didn't care for much but myself...but I want to fix it. I want to be the big sister I'm supposed to be. I may forget you at times, and I may hurt you, and I apologise for the mistakes I'll make along the way, but please give me a chance to make up for it." Yona pleaded desperately. Tsukiko slowly pulled herself away from Yoon and that's when Yona fully realised that she had been and still is crying. Yoon stood up and moved out of the way as Yona came running towards he sister and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry Tsukiko." Yona whispered as the silver haired girl began to sob loudly into the chest of her sister.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Yona sighed as she pulled away and inspected the small girl.

"She may look alright but she's far from it. She's pretending to be strong." Yoon butted in, peaking his head around the corner.

"What do you mean?" Yona tilted her head. Tsukiko rapidly shook her head at the boy, but he continued to explain anyway.

"She has two sword wounds on her back, and three arrow wounds. She did have poison in her veins. More so than Hak, haven't been shot by more arrows and she only just recovered from her fever. " He finished looking Yona in the eyes. She gasped and looked to Tsukiko who just turned away from her.

"You should have said something." Yona said sternly.

"You were too focused on Hak. You wouldn't have heard me anyway." Tsukiko replied quietly.

"Oh she also told me to treat you and Hak first. Even though she was just as badly injured as Hak." Yoon added.

"Tsukiko.." Yona spoke sadly.

"You're more important. More people would miss you." Tsukiko said smiling. Yoon gently hit her head, his own way of saying it wasn't true. Yona just stared at the smiling wondering how she could smile like that when she'd been hurt so badly.

"I made you new clothes since yours are tattered. I made the Princess traditional robes, but noticed what Tsu was wearing and made hers based on that. I hope you don't mind." Yoon explained handing them both a folded up pile of clothes. Yona had pink and red while Tsukiko had Blue and grey. The silver haired Princess jumped up and hugged the strawberry blonde boy cheerfully.

"Thank you Yoon! They're perfect!" She cheered and ran off to change. Yona followed after her quickly. Minutes later Tsukiko came back and stood in the middle of the room, the outfit had a light blue, long sleeved under shirt, light blue pants and a dark blue short tunic with grey outlining, she had also added bandages to her wrists and ankles.

"What do you think?" She asked Yoon spinning round in a circle.

"It suits you Tsu." Yoon replied smiling. She cheered and jumped around.

"They're really easy to move around in. Thank you Yoon!" She bowed. Just then Yona came out in her new outfit.

"Yona-nee you look good!" Tsukiko grinned giving her a thumbs up.

"Thank you Tsukiko. Not too bad yourself." Yona smiled.

"I need something to trim my hair with...hmmm..oh!" She talked to herself as she ran over and lifted an axe above her head. Tsukiko quickly ran overand grabbed the sharp object away from her.

"Ma, your such a pain." Yoon complained as he cut Yona's hair.

"This is why Princesses are so-" But he was cut off when Tsukiko nudged his side lightly.

"Thank you. You can do anything, huh Yoon?" Yona asked sitting patiently in front of him.

"That's because there's a priest here who requires my care. He was always getting hurt, so I had to learn about medicine." Yoon explained.

"Your cooking is also perfect." Tsukiko added.

"When it comes to faults, the only one I have is being too much of a pretty boy." Yoon said proudly making Tsukiko laugh.

"I didn't ask about that. You're kind, Ik-soo is kind as well but, even though you said you hate the royal family you're cutting my hair. You also act so kindly and caring to my sister as well." Yona explained to him smiling. Yoon blushed and looked over to the silver haired Princess who was cleaning around the hut.

"I'll be asking you for payment. As for Tsu...she's different.." Yoon trailed off looking away quickly when Tsukiko turned towards the pair.

"Send it to Mundok!" Yona shouted gleefully.

"Mundok?! That's the hero from the Wind Tribe!" Yoon shouted back not believing that Yona knew him. Tsukiko was laughing at the two in the background.

"Mundok? A hero?" Yona asked confused.

"Man! You're stupid! Mundok was the strongest general who could match Yu-hon in strength." Yoon explained to the princess.

"You know everything, huh?" Yona asked casually.

"I can't help it. I'm a genius! If I read a book just once, I can memorize it. But I've only read a few books. There are so many books I don't know about in the world." Yoon bragged, but changed his tone when he spoke about what he didn't know.

"Say, Yoon.." Yona started but trailed off.

"Well, it's not a problem. I've collected a few books. This dirty book, is all I need." Yoon fondly gazed at the book. Tsukiko popped up beside him to look at the book, making him jump in surprise.

"What is that book?" Yona asked tilting her head.

"That idiot Ik-soo got this out of the garbage for me when he tripped and fell somewhere." Tsukiko grabbed the book out of his hand and began to carefully look through it.

"That's terrible." Yona commented watching her sister smile at the contents.

"He's an idiot, right? Its suspicious that God chose someone like him, but he's the kind of guy that would never lie. I know this most of...all..." He trailed off once he realised that Yona was crouched next to him staring.

"A-anyway best you hurry and leave if you're going on your journey. I don't have time to deal with you guys' problems." Yoon said as he turned and walked away. Tsukiko ran after him cheerfully and began chatting with him. Yona stayed crouched on the ground and stared at the two sadly as they walked away.

 **~With Tsukiko and Yoon~**

Tsukiko had given Yoon his book back and he had it clutched to his chest. The two were chatting happily until they heard Yona and Ik-soo chatting in a hut.

"Even though Yoon is a badmouth he really loves you. I don't want to break apart a family. I won't take Yoon with us on our journey." Yona's voice explained making Yoon's eyes widen and Tsukiko grab his hand to try and comfort him. They continued to listen in until Ik-soo came out of the hut and Yoon pushed him against the wall.

"Where am I going?"

Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho.


	10. Chapter 9

"Where am I going?" Yoon asked angrily. Tsukiko stood to the side not knowing what to do.

"Going along with those guys?! Ik-soo!" Yoon shouted.

"You..need to leave here. The Princess needs your aid." Ik-soo replied calmly, Yoon's eyes widened as his grip on the priest loosened.

"Yoon..." Tsukiko called walked over to him carefully.

"Why do I have to go!? You've got to be kidding me!" He shouted offended, Tsukiko reached out and grabbed his hand gently.

"Being in a place like this is no good for a child like you. You need to see the world." Ik-soo explained seriously.

"Ik-soo.." Yoon trailed off looking at him with a disbelieving look on his face. Tsukiko gave his hand a small squeeze which seemed to snap him out of his daze as he turned and ran away, pulling the silver haired Princess with him.

They now sat together by the waterfall, Yoon sat cross legged while Tsukiko was sat behind him leaning against his back.

"That asshole!" Yoon suddenly shouted making Tsukiko jump, she turned to look at him and saw him attempting to rip the book he loved. She quickly placed her hand on top of his to get him to stop. He did indeed stop, but he pulled his legs to his chest as he began to cry.

"Yoon.." Tsukiko called softly as she knelt in front of him and hugged him tightly, letting him cry on her shoulder.

"It's okay Yoon..no one is forcing you to go anywhere. Ik-soo just wants you to be happy." She explained softly.

"Damnit.." Yoon cried more, wrapping his arms around Tsukiko's waist and burying his face in her shoulders.

"You know...Ik-soo saved me from poverty when I was young.." Yoon began to talk, and Tsukiko happily listened to what he had to say.

"7 years ago I lived in Touka village, which was part of the Fire Tribe's land. The village was very poor and only the elderly, women and children lived there for the capable men had been taken to be in the Fire Tribe's army. There were days that I couldn't eat, I'd steal from people passing through the village. One day Ik-soo came through and I threw a rock at him, he collapsed so I searched him. But he didn't have anything, he even apologised, he began crying because he had nothing to give. His wound bled and he seemed dizzy so I invited him to stay at mine, I treated his wound and in the morning he gave me a potato that he traded for his shoes to show his gratitude. We talked about our dreams and things like that, and he taught me how to make straw sandals. I gave them to him just before he left, I began making sandals for people and everyday I waited for Ik-soo to come back, and one day he did. But he was injured and didn't have any belongings on his person. He then told me he was leaving, he was going to live far away from people, in seclusion. That's when I decided to go with him, I didn't care about seeing the capital or the world, or how many books I would be able to read. I wanted to be wit Ik-soo for he was the first to show me kindness. He found this book for me not long after we started living here, I was so happy. I want to read more books and see more things, but if I leave I'm afraid Ik-soo won't be able to look after himself." Yoon explained having pulled away from Tsukiko and was now looking into her eyes. She was staring at him with wide watery eyes, she didn't know what to say.

She had always lived in luxury when she was younger and she felt bad about what Yoon had to go through, but she was also glad that Ik-soo found and saved him from that life.

"The outside world...huh..." He muttered, just then Ik-soo came towards the two who were now sitting side by side.

"Ik-soo.. I..Even though I said that Princess had no real knowledge of the world. That practical knowledge of reality. I don't know anything about it either. And that makes me uncomfortable." Yoon admitted to Ik-soo while looking up at the sky.

"Yoon.." Ik-soo and Tsukiko muttered at the same time.

"Hey Ik-soo you don't know but, your words are absolute for me. That's why in the end, if you tell me to go, I'll go.I'm sure that is God's will for someone like me. And besides, you seem perfectly fine with me leaving." Yoon explained to him standing up and turning to face the priest.

"Words...there can be power in them. Sometimes they become words of power. So if you say iy is fie, that may become the truth, and it will become fine. But...no...that won't work...Lonely, lonely, I'll-" He cut himself off as he began to cry, which in turn made Yoon's eyes widen as he himself began to cry.

"How annoying. It's not like we're saying goodbye for good." He replied as he wiped at his eyes. Tsukiko was sat near them smiling at the two and Yona was looking at them from behind a tree.

The peace didn't last long as Tsukiko seemed to explode in excitement, she began jumping around the two cheering and throwing her arms around wildly.

"Yay! Yoon is coming! Yay!" She repeated causing the three onlookers to laugh, Yoon blushed as he watched the small girl jump around happy about him joining them on their journey. Once she had calmed down the group made their way back to the hut and began to pack for their journey. Hak was surprised that the young man was joining them, but he shrugged it off and got himself dressed fully as he'd been wondering around in just his trousers.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Tsukiko shouted excitedly jumping around again. The others laughed and said their goodbyes to Ik-soo as they began their journey to find the 4 dragon warriors.

"I don't understand how you can be jumping around so much with those wounds." Yoon deadpanned as he watched the young girl skip a little ways ahead of the small group.

"She's always been one to be cheerful. Despite situations. So she's probably ignoring any pain." Hak replied smiling at the cheerful girl.

"She's like a light that you can't put out. No matter how many times she's shut out, or she's hurt. She gets up and she continues being her happy self." Yona smiled at her sister, who turned and ran back towards the three, she proceeded to hide behind Yoon as she lightly gripped his shirt sleeve.

Up ahead they could see a man approaching with his cart, which explained Tsukiko's turn in personality, she was extremely shy after all. Hak quickly threw the Yona into the sack he was carrying and slung her over his shoulder. Tsukiko was allowed to stay out of a sack for two reasons, she had a fear of tight spaces and people probably wouldn't notice her anyway. But she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head just in case.

"It's been a while, Kid. I've been waiting for your medicine." The man greeted as he stopped beside them.

"Do you have any rice, old man?" Yoon asked handing him a small parcel.

"It's rare to see you with someone else. Who is this tall man? Also the small girl hiding behind you." The man inquired staring at the two. Tsukiko gasped at the fact someone saw her, even when she was hidden. She peaked her head from behind Yoon to stare at the man, who just smiled at her kindly, Tsukiko's eyes sparkled and she grinned at the man.

"Oh..." Yoon hesitated.

"I'm his business partner. We're going up near the border to do some business." Hak explained smoothly.

"And I'm his sister!" Tsukiko exclaimed throwing her hand up in the air like she wanted to be picked. The man laughed at her change in demeanor and nodded his head as he walked off.

"Bye bye Mister!" Tsukiko called waving to him. They also carried on their way and when they were out of sight Hak let Yona out of the sack. But now said Princess was sulking ahead of the group.

"Princess. Priiiiness. What are you mad about?" Hak teased her.

"Is it because I packed you in a bag and carried you over my shoulders? Is it because I said you were clothes in the bag and treated you roughly? Or is it because I felt up the good stuff in the bag?" Hak asked casually as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Everything." Yona answered clenching her fist angrily, she then chased him up a tree.

"Why are you acting like this?!" Yona shouted shaking her fists as him. He didn't answer and pretended that he was looking out for something.

"The bag that was supposed to have clothes in it started squirming around and I was really nervous that the old man had found us out." Yoon sweated nervously, Tsukiko nodded her head in agreement but was still smiling widely.

"Are you two alright?" He asked turning towards the pair who were now calm and both on the ground.

"Red haired Princess! Ex-General Beast Yajuu! Silver haired Princess! Genius pretty boy! We look suspicious so you tow need to settle down." Yoon named them off as he pointed at each person.

"It's thunder beast Raijuu." Hak corrected him. But he got ignored as Yoon continued to talk.

"Also, this place is near the Fire Tribe and the Capital City. Do you understand how bad it'll be if they find you?!" Yoon added.

"Yes." Hak and Yona answered bluntly. Tsukiko wasn't listening though, she was looking around and admiring the outside world. Her father never let them out, well he didn't hear her when she asked, but either way she hadn't been outside of the castle before, so she was amazed.

"But whether it's the high priest or the four dragons, they all reside in rather complicated locations." Hak told them, Tsukiko decided to contribute to the conversation as she relayed the situation they were in.

"Ik-soo said that the dragons live their own lives and tracking them would be difficult. But he told us where one should be living with his clan. He lives on top of the fog covered mountains, but he was certain they live there. They don't belong to any tribes and they don't ever receive outsiders. It's by the border so we'll have to be careful since we must cross near the Fire Tribe and Capital City." She explained seriously.

The group stared at her for a while before they snapped out of it and nodded their heads in understanding.

"So it's close to both the Capital City and the Country of Kaitei." Hak smirked excited for any fights that may happen.

"I've finally entered the outside, so I'm really looking forward to seeing this phantom village. I'm going to write a record about my travels throughout this country." Yoon had an aura of excitement around him as he talked.

"Huh? Why are your eyes red?" Hak asked turning towards him, snapping the boy out of his daze as he chased Hak.

"Shut up!" He shouted angrily trying to land a hit on the taller male.

"Will...will the soldiers attack us again?" Yona asked catching everyone's attention.

"It's okay. I'll manage to deal with it." Hak spoke calmly.

"Oh, I'm weak so can you protect me, too?" Yoon asked raising his hand slightly.

"I'll help!" Tsukiko shouted cheerfully raising her hand above her head.

"You know how to use a weapon?" Yoon and Yona asked the smaller girl, she nodded in reply and stuck her chest out confidently.

"Yes! I'm a fast learner so I can probably use any weapon." She bragged happily.

"Though the last time I used my bow and arrow and the Katana I picked up from the Wind Tribe." She explained smiling.

"She did well for a first timer. Took down most of the archers before they found her. Also hit them all dead in the heart." Hak explained to them proudly ruffling her hair. She beamed at him as the Princess and self proclaimed pretty boy genius stared at her in awe.

"I need to learn swordsmanship." Yona said seriously, Hak's eyes widened as she stared him down.

"Hak, you told me you would teach me, right? You can teach me even when we're on the road. I want to be capable of repelling anybody who comes and attacks." Yona pleaded with him, Tsukiko and Yoon had backed away from the pair just in case they began arguing again.

"Princess, can you kill a person?" Hak asked dead serious. Her eyes widened as she thought about how she could answer.

"Even if you repel them, you can't give enemies the chance to flee. You need to hurt them to the point where they're beyond recovery and kill them. Can you do that? At that time, even though you had a sword you didn't use it at all." Hak tried to convince her to not fight, he didn't want her to be at the front line where she could get hurt.

"Even if I can't match up against them or kill them, I want to at least create an opening for you and I to get away." Yona explained, in the background Yoon and Tsukiko were staring at her mouths agape as she seemed to have forgotten about them.

"Don't worry Yoon, I'll protect us." Tsukiko told him confidently. He smiled at her and nodded as they laughed and joked.

"Swordsmanship for self defense, surely you'll need that." Hak mumbled to himself, he didn't want his Princess to fight, but he also didn't want to leave her defenseless.

"So you're teaching me?" Yona asked him, he brought his palm to his head and hesitated in answering.

"That's right. Well then, take this." He finally answered handing her the bow and arrows he had taken from the Wind Tribe before he left.

"A bow?" Yona tilted her head confused.

"I'll do all the fighting and you will hide yourself and shoot the enemies." Hak told her strictly.

"Okay. Say, give me a sword, too." She pleaded holding the bow tightly in her hands.

"Right now I'm only teaching you the bow and arrow." Hak left no room for argument, Yona pouted in defeat.

"Princess. His Majesty Il never let you touch weapons. Right now, I am going against his Majesty's command. Please think carefully about why his Majesty hated weapons." Hak spoke seriously. Yona and Tsukiko both looked to the ground as they thought of their deceased Father.

"Although, why don't you have her practice the bow while we're climbing the mountain?" Yoon inquired as they began walking on the path again.

"If we weren't in the middle of traveling I would have her shoot about 200 arrows a day. Anyway, I wonder if you can kill birds and rabbits with the bow.." Hak answered him whilst also wondering about his abilities.

"I agree. That would kill two birds with one stone. If you can catch one, then dinner won't be a problem. If you don't mind, Princess." Yoon agreed, Tsukiko was trailing behind the group quietly feeling left out, she pouted and crossed her arms.

"I can use weapons, I could shoot things for dinner you know." She mumbled through her pout.

 **~Time skip~**

The group had stopped so that Yona could practice using the bow, though she was failing very badly. She couldn't hit a single bird.

"Hak, I can't hit one. What can I do?" Yona asked embarrassed that she had to ask for help.

"Hm?" Hak took the bow and arrow and shot a bird down without explanation.

"Like this." He said bluntly giving the bow back to her.

"How did you do that?" Yona inquired.

"I aimed." Hak replied simply.

"I don't get it." She told him.

"What?" He asked her.

Tsukiko was watching the two wishing she too could try shooting a bird, she'd only used the bow and arrows to shoot people that were crouched still. She was listening and watching intently so she could improve her archery skills.

"A true bow and arrow expert can shoot their target when their eyes are closed. It's so the won't be distracted by what their eyes see." Tsukiko, having heard what Hak said decided to give it a shot. She stood still with her bow held tightly in her hands and her arrow already in the right place. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly and quietly, she focused on what she could hear as well as the feel of the wind. Drawing back her arrow she aimed at where she sensed a bird should be, steadying her aim and pulling back with enough strength she let go.

Lowering her bow she then opened her eyes when she heard a light plop and looked to the floor next to her. There lay a dead bird, an arrow sticking through the middle of it's head. She turned around to look at Hak and Yona, just to find that they weren't paying attention, they were still talking between themselves. But when she turned to Yoon she found him standing completely still, eyes wide in shock and mouth agape.

She held up a peace sign and grinned widely, she was glad that someone had seen her do it, happy that someone cared enough to pay attention to her. Yoon snapped out of his daze and clapped quickly and walked over to her.

"Wow Tsu, you're good at that." He praised her, making sure to give her a smile and a pat on the head. She laughed and scratched the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Thanks Yoon." She replied shyly.

The group had been travelling for a while and only stopped when it got dark. Everyone in camp was asleep, Hak was lent against a tree, Yoon was curled up at the base of a tree and Tsukiko was next to him. Yoon soon woke up to the sound of arrows thunking against the trunk of a tree.

"What's that sound?" He asked himself as he slowly sat up and looked around, his eyes widened when he saw Yona practicing with the bow.

 **~Morning~**

Yona, Yoon and Tsukiko were sat around the fire as breakfast was being made. Yoon had made bird meat stew from the birds that had been caught.

"You're becoming quite a master, huh?" Yoon spoke up to Yona.

"Really?" She responded excitedly.

"At archery posture, I mean." He corrected himself.

"Can you use the bow, Yoon." Yona asked him.

"When it comes to hunting, I use traps. If I'm going to use it halfheartedly then it's better to not have a weapon." Yoon answered, Tsukiko nodded her head in reply while munching on the small portion of food she had asked for. Yona was confused though as she stared waiting for him to continue.

"I'm talking about not being able to kill someone. He said it can be for self defense but for those with no strength like us, can we be in a situation where we don't show any sympathy on the battle field? For us to survive we need to relentlessly aim at vitals for one-hit kills, use underhanded methods and this it's a battle of brains. The skills of creating an opening and easily taking care of someone are things that thunder beast can do." Yoon explained sternly, Yona hadn't replied, just go up and walked off.

Yoon looked to Tsukiko who just shrugged got up too, having already packed away all the things they had brought with them. Yoon followed suit and they walked on the path until the found Hak and Yona.

"Yoon, Tsukiko, go on ahead." Hak called to them.

"Hurry it up, okay? We'll be arriving at the place Ik-soo told us about soon." Yoon told them as he and the silver haired Princess walked away from the pair, they continued down the path until a fog rolled in and they had to stop. They made sure they were close together as to not lose the one another.

"Leave!" Someone shouted making the pair jump. Tsukiko grew serious and stepped in front of Yoon.

"Who are you?!" She shouted, but got no answer, only silence. Until the sound of footsteps could be heard and the pair were pulled apart. They reached for each other calling the others name but it was a wasted effort as they were knocked unconscious.

Not long after Hak and Yona came into the same area, they spotted Yoon and Tsukiko's belongings on the floor and grew worried for their two younger companions.

"They've disappeared!"

 **A/N man this chapter is long, did not mean for it to be so long. Much apologise. Hope you enjoyed it though.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Third person POV**

Yona and Hak had arrived at the place where Yoon and Tsukiko had been taken, they had noticed their things on the floor and began to worry for the pair. As Yona began shouting for the two strong wind blew past them bringing a chorus of voices with it.

"Go away."

"Be gone." The voices were saying making Hak tense up and stand in front of Yona protectively.

"Who are you?!" Yona shouted.

"Leave this ground at once!" The voices echoed around them.

"Stand back." Hak instructed the Princess.

"If you step any further, you will receive divine punishment." The voices spoke again.

"You're hiding in the fog and you talk of divine punishment, huh? You must surely be a magnificent God, am I right?!" Hak shouted swinging his glaive and dispersing the fog, this in turn revealed the men aiming arrows at them.

"Who are you?! He cleared our fog away with just one swing..!" One of the men shouted.

"Are you guys people from the dragon village?" Hak asked pulling Yona close to him.

"It seems they know of our clan. Then that is all the more reason to not allow them to go back." Someone said.

"Was the boy and girl from earlier your companion?" The old man questioned, causing the pair to stand more alert.

"So you were the ones who took Yoon and Tsukiko away?! What did you do to them?!" Yona shouted at him concerned.

"Those children.." He trailed off as he got a closer look at Yona.

"You.." He trailed of again lowering his bow. This caught the attention of all the others as they also lowered their bows.

"Red hair.."

"That's red hair.."

"It can't be..."

"But it's a girl.." The people surrounding them spoke amongst themselves, causing confusion for the pair below, the old man quickly jumped down from his place in the tree and knelt in front of Yona.

"Where do you come from, Re-haired girl?" He asked her.

"The land of wind. We received guidance from the high priest to seek out the four dragon warriors. Are you the one who possesses the blood of the four dragons?" Yona explained to him, but she also asked him a question herself. This caused people to shout about the high priest.

"No...We are the protectors of the White Dragon. Let me guide you, to Hakuryuu Village." The man offered them.

 **~Now over to the others who are currently being held in a cage~**

"Hold on! Can't you let us go?!" Yoon shouted from inside the cage, his arms were tied behind his back and his feet were tied together. Though he seemed pretty much fine, just annoyed they'd lock such a pretty boy up. Tsukiko on the other hand was terrified. She of course had a fear of tight spaces, so she was sobbing quietly in a corner of the cage. Yoon would have comforted her but he himself was tied up.

"How much do I have to say that it's rather distasteful, to tie up a pretty boy like me and put me in a cage?!" Yoon shouted angrily, though he was ignored by the person standing next to the cage.

"At least let Tsukiko out! She's terrified of tight spaces! Can't you see how much she's crying?! What is wrong with you?!" He shouted at the man, but again got ignored. He continued to shout at the guard, who continued to ignore him.

"Your punishment will be decided by our dragon." He finally answered, though it made Tsukiko cry more as she shook and trembled. She thrashed around trying to get out of the rope that bound her together, the bandages on her wrists and ankles were a good choice as the rope rubbed against her arms and legs. If the bandages weren't there her skin would be red and raw.

"Aaannnd on your left you can see a statue of Lord Hakuryuu..." The old man said as he gave Yona and Hak a tour of the village.

"Hold on! How do you get to just casually walk around the dragon's village, while the pretty boy and Tsukiko get put in a cage?! I should be the one getting special treatment shouldn't I?! Yoon shouted at the pair that had just casually waltzed into the village.

"Oh! Yoon, Tsukiko, are you alright?" Yona asked leisurely.

"Oh sure, I'm doing just fine being tied up! Have you seen Tsukiko?! Does she look okay to you?!" Yoon angrily shouted at her again, making their heads snap towards the youngest Princess, who was still huddled in a corner crying and shaking uncontrollably.

"We have treated them rudely, let them go." The old man instructed, though the guard didn't seem to agree on the idea.

"They are the red hair's guest." He said gesturing towards Yona.

"Oh! Excuse me!" The guard bowed in apology and quickly opened the cage, which Yoon gladly crawled out of, his restraints were taken off and he rubbed his wrists.

"Hey, we're letting you go. Come out." The guy said to Tsukiko who was still in the corner, Yoon turned and crawled back in the cage to get Tsukiko. He undid the rope around her wrists and ankles and eased her out of the cage. She was still shaking and crying, but was slowly calming down. Yona quickly ran over to her sister and brought her into a hug, the younger Princess clung onto her sister tightly as she sobbed into her chest. Yona tried her best to soothe her, she was new to it and didn't know exactly what to do, but she soon managed to calm her.

Although she was still cautious around the villagers she didn't let it stop her from helping where she could. She ran around happily as she talked and greeted the villagers, who in turn greeted her with smile. Though a lot of people were surrounding Yona she still had a crowd of people around her telling her how cute she was with her freckles and her silver hair in pig-tails. She'd blush and thank them shyly wish would make them squeal loudly obviously overcome by her cuteness.

Tsukiko had managed to get away from the group of people and was now walking around the village by herself. She smiled as she looked around at the beautiful scenery in the village, as she turned a corner she was knocked over by what she assumed was a person, and not a wall. She quickly looked up to see a man with white hair, white robes and what looked like a dragons claw for a hand.

He was staring at her in confusion, but that confusion turned to anger as he glared at her making the poor girl flinch.

"Who are you and what are you doing in this village?!" He shouted at her angrily. She hadn't expected him to be so hostile and being the shy girl she was wasn't able to form words. The man continued to glare at her waiting for her to answer, when he realised she wasn't going to answer he stopped glaring at her and took a closer look at the girl he had knocked over.

He only just began to take in how she looked. She was obviously quite young and she looked very fragile and small. As he studied her more she began to shake under his gaze, she didn't know why he was looking at her so intensely but she did know that she didn't want to anger him any further. So she quickly stood up and bowed her head low.

"I-I'm s-sorry." She stuttered out quietly, his eyes widened at how quiet and shy she was. He immediately felt bad about the way he shouted at such a tiny thing, he basically towered over the silver haired Princess. His eyes softened at the trembling girl in front of him, he carefully knelt down in front of her so he could look into her eyes.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I shouted at you. I am the Hakuryuu of this village." He greeted her softly. She lifted her head to look at the man, now named as the white dragon warrior, and she smiled happily.

"I'm Tsukiko!" She told him her name cheerfully, he laughed at her change in demeanor and stood up again.

"Are you with the people that are making a ruckus around the village?" He asked her softly but seriously. She looked confused to begin with, but then slowly nodded her head.

"I guess. But I've been avoiding people the best I can, and I haven't been with my companions since I was let out of the cage I was put into." She explained, though the being put into a cage thing made the mans eyes widen and he bowed to her in apology.

"I am deeply sorry for how the people in this village treated you. You don't seem like the type of person that would want to harm anyone here. You have such a kind aura about you." The Hakuryuu explained to her smiling, she smiled back and followed him as he ran off to find her group.

He caught her attention but once she turned around and he saw her face he bent over clutching his dragons hand in pain, he then proceeded to scream and then collapse. Tsukiko quickly ran over to her new friend and knelt down behind him while carefully lifting his head onto her lap. Though that didn't stop the villages from screaming in worry.

 **A/N Ima end it there otherwise it'll be very long like the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	12. Chapter 11

**~Third person POV~**

"Lord Hakuryuu!" The villagers shouted running over to him.

"Is he okay?!" Yona shouted nearly next the white dragon along with Yoon who had knelt next to him so he could take his temperature.

"Oh...Look! Lord Hakuryuu's arm.." One of the villagers said causing everyone to look to the claw that seemed steaming and getting bigger. Tsukiko stroked the mans hair trying to soothe him even if just a little. Yona leaned over to look at his face which was when he decided to open his eyes. He sat up weakly and gazed at Yona longingly.

"Uh...Hakuryuu...?" Yona asked nervous under his gaze.

"...Yes? I am the person who has inherited the blood of the white dragon from ancient times. I have been waiting for you. My master." Hakuryuu introduced bowing in front of Yona, which made the villagers that were gathered around the group bow to her as well.

"Master...? What are you..tal.." Yona trailed over her eyes widening at the people bowing to her. Hak, Yona and Yoon stood in a triangle with their backs to each other. Tsukiko had stood up and was now standing away from the group sweat dropping at the scene in front of her. Yoon looked over at her and beckoned her back over. She shook her head shying away more, he in turn chuckled and walked over to her and dragged her gently back to the others by her wrist. She tried to stopped him but gave up when he smiled at her. She stood behind him as they came to stand with the group again. The villagers were cheering about Hakuryuu finding his master.

"They're a little excited, huh?" Yoon said seeming a little irritated, Tsukiko nodded her head and gripped the fabric of his sleeve.

"Are they calling me a King because I'm royalty?" Yona asked holding her hands to her face, Tsukiko shook her head sighing.

"No Yona-nee." Tsukiko whispered shaking her head.

"I think it's because they think you're King Hiryuu because you have red hair." Hak explained, crossing his arm over his chest.

"But I'm not a descendant of King Hiryuu. Within Kouka's history, there were times when the fire, water, and the other tribes held royal authority. I don't think there are any remaining descendants of King Hiryuu left." Yona explained making Tsukiko stare at her wide eyed.

"Yona-nee you can be smart." Tsukiko spoke proudly, but quietly. Yona glared at her in return while Hak and Yoon chuckled at the pair.

"My Master." Hakuryuu called making Yona turn to him in surprise.

"If I may ask, what is your name?" He asked sincerely looking into her eyes.

"...Yona." She replied blushing under her gaze, in the background you could see Tsukiko lean over to whisper something into Hak's ear making him blush and look away.

"Lady...Yona." Hakuryuu spoke softly. Tsukiko, Hak and Yoon were staring at the pair intently, the silver haired princess kept nudging Hak's arm earning a hit on the head from him. She glared at Hak with tears in the corners of her eyes.

"You're beautiful." Yona stated bluntly making the trio turn towards her. Tsukiko quickly started rolling around on the floor with laughter, Yoon was shaking his head at the small girl and Hak was staring at the duo with a stoic look, but if you looked into his eyes you could see that spark of jealousy.

"Huh? That's not true. Lady Yona is the one who looks divine..." Hakuryuu rambled with a blush on his face.

"I...am not your King or your Master. I want the power of the gods to protect myself and my friends. I'm being a bad person." Yona spoke seriously. The rest of the group all looked at her with wide eyes. Yoon quickly walked up to her.

"Wait...Be quiet about that! They don't take to outsiders well!" Yoon warned her, though she didn't listen.

"I'm travelling to take hold of the other three dragons, too. First off, I want to borrow your power. May I?" Yona asked. Yoon looked shocked, Tsukiko was grinning and Hak looked a little turned on. Hakuryuu seemed surprised at first, his expression quickly changed into one of great seriousness.

"It would be my greatest honour." He spoke huskily. Tsukiko cheered loudly making the people around them squeal or laugh. The other three were very surprised.

"Who you are or what kind of objectives you have...from now on...I am your dragon. The blood within me is telling me so." He explained.

 **~Timeskip~**

"That was scary. Even though Ik-soo predicted it...I didn't think he would become our comrade so willingly." Yoon spoke as he and Yona lent against the trunk of a tree.

"When I said me and Tsukiko were Princessess, they were surprised, too." Yona replied.

"You didn't mean it when you said you were a bad person, did you?" Yoon asked turning his head to look at her.

"It's the truth. I didn't want to lie to him." Yona replied looking up at the sky.

"Also, that guy was smiling the whole time and it was making me uncomfortable." Yoon added pointing at Hak who was wrapping his wrist.

"It's nothing. The Princess was speaking to a deity like she wanted to pick a fight. How exciting." Hak spoke leisurely.

"Are you being sarcastic again?" Yona asked suspiciously.

"No way!" He shouted in reply.

"If Hakuryuu is this complacent about lending us a hand...the journey will go smoothly, too." Hak added.

"Hey. Where's Tsukiko?" Yoon's voice spoke.

 **~With Tsukiko (Still 3rd person POV)~**

Tsukiko had followed Hakuryuu to his home and was moving silently through the halls looking for him.

"Ngh!" Came a shout of pain making Tsukiko run towards the sound. As she turned the corner she saw Hakuryuu lent against the wall clutching his right arm.

"Hakuryuu-san!" She gasped rushing over to him. She knelt next to him and reached for his arm, when his human had gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her from doing so. She looked at him confused, to which he just shook his head. He let go of her and closed his eyes gripping his arm again. Tsukiko placed her hand on his head checking for a fever, luckily he didn't have one.

"Excuse me." Came the deep voice of Hak as he knocked on the door. Hakuryuu snapped his head to the dark haired man.

"What?! You insolent man! How dare you enter the castle of Hakuryuu without permission!" He shouted, standing from his spot. Tsukiko who was knelt in front of him quickly moved away.

"Ahhh, sorry, sorry." Hak apologised as he started looking around the room.

"I came for a weapon and meal provisions. Do you have anything?" Hak asked rummaging around. Tsukiko was looking between the two men, looking concerned about what might happen.

"What are you doing?!" Hakuryuu angrily shouted. He grabbed a bag of money off the counter and handed it to Hak.

"Oh. How generous of you, Lord Hakuryuu." Hak held his hands out taking the money happily. Tsukiko shook her head at the man.

"Take this and leave the village." Hakuryuu ordered. Tsukiko's eyes widened and she quickly ran over and stood between the two.

"Hakuryuu-san, Hak can't leave, he's Yon-" She started but was cut off.

"You've done a good job up to this point. From now on I will protect the Princess, so you can go home." The white haired male spoke.

"But Hakuryuu-sa-" She was cut off again as the two men stormed out of the room leaving her behind. Sadly she followed after the two her head hanging.

"Ah, they've arrived." Yoon said glancing in their direction.

"Hm..? The situation doesn't look good at all." He added staring at the two men stomping in their direction. Looking closely he could see the dejected form of the small silver haired princess trudging behind them. He grew concerned and quickly made his way over to her as Yona ran over to Hak and Hakuryuu.

"Hey..You okay?" Yoon asked Tsukiko. She nodded her head and smiled at him.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She replied quietly. Yoon wasn't convinced but didn't push her, he grabbed her hand and gently tugged her over to the others.

"What happened to cause this?" Yoon asked as he and Tsukiko stepped up to the trio.

"Lord Hakuryuu gave me money and told me to go home." Hak explained.

"So then, what is that protruding from your stomach?" Yoon deadpanned. Tsukiko giggled softly causing Yoon to let a small smile slip.

"Indigestion maybe?" Hak looked away.

"Protecting the Princess is the duty of the four dragons! Anybody who isn't a dragon can go.." Hakuryuu shouted at Hak. Tsukiko took it the wrong way and thought he also wanted her gone. He eyes watered and she shook slightly.

"No!" Yona shouted clinging on to Hak's arm.

"Hak is my childhood friend! Even after we left the castle..and even after I became alone..he didn't abandon me! He is an important person to me! If Hak can't come along, then I don't want this!" Yona shouted, she hadn't realised she forgot about a certain small Princess, who had moved away from the group and was sat against a tree trunk crying into her knees. Yoon looked at her sadly, and then at Yona angrily.

'How clueless can this Princess get?! Forgetting her own sister again!" He thought angrily clenching his hand into a fist. While the trio talked Yoon walked over to the silver haired Princess and knelt in front of her.

"Tsukiko..." He called sadly, she looked up at him with tears rolling down her pale cheeks. He smiled sadly and pulled her into a hug. She clung onto him tightly as she cried silently into his chest. Slowly her crying stopped and Yoon pulled away finding that she had fallen asleep. He shook his head and lifted the Princess into his arms, she snuggled her face into his neck making him blush but smile nonetheless.

"Hey, this is getting annoying. Let's hurry and go." Yoon stated to Yona bluntly as he walked away from them.

"Yes." She replied back oblivious to the sleeping girl in the boys arms.

 **~Skipping the heartfelt goodbye~**

"So then..where are we going from here?" Hakuryuu asked. **(I don't know who actually asked this.)**

"Yoon, did you hear anything from Ik-soo?" Yona asked the sniffling boy.

"Nope. There aren't any clues here." Yoon sniffled. The sleeping girl stirred yawning cutely.

"What's wrong? Your eyes are red." Hak teased.

"Shut up!" Yoon shouted blushing. This of course woke the silver haired girl up.

"What's going on...?" She asked sleepily. Yoon gently placed her on her feet.

"We've left the village and are now searching for the next dragon." Yoon explained. She nodded her head rubbing her eye sleepily.

"This will be difficult." Yona said.

"Are you looking for the four dragons?" Hakuryuu asked stepping in front of her.

"Yes." She answered.

"I can sense the presence of people who have the power of the four dragons." The white dragon explained.

"Really?" Yona shouted excitedly.

"Yes, they're faint...but the four of us dragons are like siblings. Even though we have been separated since ancient times, our blood calls out to one another. But then, I have not met them yet, either.." He answered trailing off at the end.

"Wow! That's very handy!" Yona shouted skipping off after Hak.

"Alright. First let's head down the mountain." Hak ordered.

"Oh Great White Snake, which direction is it?" Hak teased.

"I'm not a White Snake!" Hakuryuu shouted.

"Hak, you probably shouldn't tease Hakuryuu. Oh! That reminds me... Hakuryuu, what's your name? Hakuryuu isn't your name, right?" Yona asked walking next to him.

"Hakuryuu-san is too long." Tsukiko spoke softly, she went unheard by everyone but Yoon who nodded his head.

"Eh..?" The white haired male asked.

"Would you mind if we called you by your name?" Yona inquired.

"My name...Please..call me Kija."

"Yay! Kija!" Tsukiko shouted, this time everyone heard her and laughed softly as she ran around the group.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	13. Chapter 12

**~Third person POV~**

The group had stopped due to a certain two men arguing.

"You're doing great even though you're not used to traveling...Great White Snake." Hak provoked Kija, who flushed with anger.

"If you call me a snake one more time I will cut out your throat. Do you think I will grow tired because of this?" Kija replied angrily.

"Well, won't you start missing your village soon?" Hak teased.

"What are you saying? The Princess asked for my help. There may be a time when I will have to protect you, too." Kija countered.

"A pampered young lord like you probably can't even fight." Hak smirked. They were leaning closer to each other as Yona stood between the two. Suddenly she lifted her arms up punching the two on the chin, knocking their heads back.

"Stop it." She ordered bluntly.

"You're going to be traveling together from now on, so don't fight." Yona added scolding the two.

"I apologize Princess." Kija sighed out. Tsukiko ran up to the white haired male and jumped on his back making him stumble slightly.

"Hak! This is the first time Kija has been outside his village and he is very uncertain right now. So don't pick on him!" Yona shouted at the black haired male.

"I'm not-" Kija started, but was cut off. Tsukiko patted his head.

"Don't worry Kija. Being a bully is Ha's hobby. So don't pay any mind to him." Tsukiko assured him, earning a hit on the head from Hak.

"Kija. I'm the Pretty boy genius, Yoon." Yoon introduced, Tsukiko giggled and jumped off Kija's back.

"I'm not disagreeing with you Yoon, but you don't have to call yourself that every time you introduce yourself." Tsukiko told him shrugging her shoulders. Yoon blushed and pouted.

"You can sense the presence of the other dragons, right? Tell me which one is the closest." Yoon ordered.

"I feel that the closest one is...Seiryuu perhaps..." He answered closing his eyes so he could focus more on the searching for the presence.

"Ah, so you know who it is, too. Where?" Yoon asked.

"Let's see...There is something dark and shady in that direction." Kija pointed out making Tsukiko and Yoon turn their heads.

"Are you sure?" Tsukiko asked him tilting her head.

"This location sounds rather sketchy." Yoon added, Tsukiko nodded her head in agreement.

"I am not scared. Everyone follow me." Kija started walking off holding a white flag in his left hand.

"I'm scared! I'm afraid to follow a guy who has never set foot outside of his village until now!" Yoon shouted angrily.

"I have been outside of the village, and I know enough about the outside world. My clan has jumped from place to place and has gathered information about the country." Kija pouted, he wasn't looking where he was going and soon fell into a hole.

"Wah!" He shouted surprised as his foot slipped and he fell into the hole. Tsukiko began laughing as he screamed in fear of the bags surrounding him.

"W-W-W-What is this?! Whose permission did they get to settle here?! W-Wait! Stop! Not another step..AH!" He was shouting as the group laughed, giggled or chuckled at the man.

"Lord Hakuryuu will quietly follow at the back of the line." Yoon said pointing to the back of the group.

"NOOOOO! STOP! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Kija screamed, Tsukiko was looking down at him in the hole.

"Whatcha doing down there Kija? You haven' fun?" She asked cutely, as she laughed slightly. He glared at her and proceeded to try and scramble up the side of the wall. The silver haired girl laughed and reached her hand down for the man to take. He looked at her confused before hesitantly taking her hand, he was surprised when she managed to pull him out of the hole.

"The great dragon deity is weaker than a bug." Hak teased as he crouched in front of Kija, who was blushing from embarrassment.

"N-NO! I just do not like rustling hairy creepy crawly creatures. My power is the power that the noble white dragon god bestowed upon me. Don't think for a second I am an ordinary person." Kija explained to him.

"Well, I don't care. It's a dusty ancient power that's become unreliable." Hak answered back.

"Hak don't be mean. I'm sure it's a great power." Tsukiko interjected quietly. Kija nodded his head and pointed at the small girl.

"Yes! It's as Princess Tsukiko says! Would you like to try it out right here?!" Kija picked a fight.

"Oh-hoh." Hak was raring to fight.

"Guys." Tsukiko warned seriously. They both looked at her surprised, something snapped in their heads and they stood protectively in front of the smaller members of the group.

"Hak...?" Yona asked confused.

"Hide, Princess. Someone is here." Hak answered her.

"You hide too Yoon." Tsukiko said standing in front of the slightly taller boy.

"Someone? Who?" Yoon inquired.

"Furthermore, there's a lot of them." Hak stated.

"Their footing does not sound very refined." Kija added.

"They're probably bandits or something." Tsukiko also added quietly.

"Oh no! This is within the vicinity of the land of fire!" Yoon shouted.

"Is the fire tribe your enemy?" Kija asked.

"Well, they're almost our enemy." Hak answered.

"They might as well be our enemy." Tsukiko added.

"Hak. Can I use your arrows?" Yona asked raising her hand.

"Your instructor forbids it. Go hide." Yona took of with Yoon to hide, carrying Hak's stuff. Tsukiko stood beside the 2 men.

"Uh..Princess Tsukiko, you should go and hide with the others." Kija told her concerned. She just shook her head in reply, drawing her sword she stood tall with her head held high.

"Nah I'm good. I'll help." She replied smirking. Hak returned her smirk, while Kija looked surprised but also very reluctant.

"Hey. There were spoils in a place like this. And what do we have here? They look like they'ev got some valuable stuff on 'em!" One of the bandits shouted.

"...What the hell, mountain bandits?" Hak seemed to not think they were much of a threat.

"I did say they were probably bandits." Tsukiko told them blankly.

"What do you mean by that?" Kija asked confused.

"That's not all. They've got two women over there." Someone said spotting Yoon and Yona hiding in the bushes.

"This girl looks like she could sell for a large sum. The freckles on her face make her look very cute and her figure is thin. She'd make a good slave." One of the men spoke grabbing her by the waist.

 **~Yoon's POV~**

I watched as the disgusting man wrapped his arm around Tsu's waist. She stood perfectly still, she didn't seem to be scared. I was very worried though, what will she be able to do against a group that big? She's so small. I know she's good with a bow and arrow, but she's new with a sword. What if she gets hurt?

"This guy looks like a rather nice catch. He's makin' a face that looks like it would sell." Another man had walked up to Kija and was holding a dagger to his cheek. Like Tsu he didn't seem worried or scared.

"...Say...I still am not fully aware of your circumstances. In any case, would you mind if I cut them all up?" He asked not looking away from the man in front of him.

"I wouldn't mind if you went and hid." Hak smirked at him. These guys are something. How can they be so calm in a situation like this. Tsukiko still hadn't moved and that disgusting man still had his arm around her.

"Who?" Kija smirked slumping over and gripping his right arm.

"Hn? What's the matter? What're you shaking for? Don't worry and stay calm. We don't wanna kill ya." The man standing in front of Kija ordered him. It happened so quickly but suddenly the man was on the floor clutching a wound on his chest.

"G..AH!" He cried in pain.

"What happened?" Another bandit asked him raising an eyebrow.

"I dunno, but his hand was boiling hot!" He shouted in reply.

"Huh? What stupid nonsense." The other guy didn't believe his friend. They both suddenly got scared as the bandages around Kija's arm began to unravel, revealing his dragon claw.

"You should not...touch it so carelessly. This power...that kept waiting to protect it's master...for a millennium...is something that even I cannot control." Woah, his claw just grew. How does it do that?

"AHHHH! What's with that arm?!" They screamed in fear, I'm glad I'm on his side. Tsukiko is still in the same spot. Is she okay? Maybe she's too scared to move.

"M-MONSTER!" The groups was shouting, Princess was staring in shock, while Hak was surprised, though he smirked once he got over it.

"That nasty snarly face doesn't suit you." Hak told Kija, his face is really scary, I'm glad I'm on his side too.

"Not enough...It is still not enough...Well then, Hak...Shall I follow the order of the Princess...and protect you as well?" Kija teased, I deadpanned, is this really the time for that.

"Don't bother. I can handle my own!" Hak replied taking out his spear, he quickly looked at Tsu, who was still standing still, the man still attached to her.

"How long you gonna stand there...Princess?" Hak smirked, I stared at her as she her fist clenched and she looked to Hak. Her eyes seemed to glow a brighter shade of as she glared at him.

"I told you not to call me Princess, Hak." She spoke calmly with a smirk. She then sprung in to action, she moved so fast she was like a blur, getting away from the man holding her she stood behind him and sliced her sword against his back. She then flipped over the man and ran into the battle happening just couple feet away.

"Wh-What are these guys?!"

"They're not normal!" They were shouting. 'Well they're not wrong.' I thought as I watched Tsu fight, in awe.

"How rude. The only one who isn't normal is the White Snake over there." Hak told them, he then had to quickly dodge Kija's claw that came very close to his throat.

 **~Third person POV~ [gonna be lazy again. Bold is Hak,** _ **Bold italics is Kija,**_ _and italics is Tsukiko._ Everyone else is normal]

" **Just where were you aiming, Great White Snake?"**

 _ **"I thought I told you I would cut your throat if you called me a White Snake again."**_

 _"Stop it you guys. This isn't the time."_

 **"Don't worry about it. It's a habit of mine."**

The three fighters had stopped momentarily to bicker amongst themselves. Yona and Yoon sweatdropped at the scene in front of them.

 **"But aren't you having a bit too much fun with that? You're standing out too much."**

 _ **"Protecting the Princess gives me great delight. It is you with that huge spear that is a nuisance."**_

 _"Stop it you guys. Seriously, we have more important things to handle right now."_ Tsukiko turned to them after cutting down another bandit. Her break didn't last long as a group of bandits ran towards her, she ran at them quickly, cutting them down with her Katana as she weaved between them.

 **"Are the four dragons that single-minded?"**

 _ **"Well then what do you protect the Princess for?"**_

Hak didn't answer for a moment.

 **"You think I'm gonna tell that to...a stranger I just met? Idiot."** Hak stuck his tongue out.

 _"I-! Idiot?!"_ Kija screamed angrily. Hak just ran away into battle again.

'I thought he was a powerless human, but...he has such power...I do not want to acknowledge it, but...could his strength almost be on par with the arm of the dragon...?!' Kija thought surprised.

'Tsukiko surprises me the most, she's so small but her skills are extraordinary. She's so fast and she doesn't hesitate.' Kija admired Tsukiko as she fought a small group of the bandits, taking them down easily.

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

Man these bandits just keep coming. I groaned as my back wounds began to ache and sting, I must have opened them while fighting. In my moment of pain an arrow flew past me and hit the hand of a guy about to strike me with his dagger. I looked in Yona-nee's direction to thank her when I saw a bandit sneaking up on her and Yoon. I quickly sheathed my Katana and unhooked my bow and drew an arrow. Positioning it properly I pulled the string back with the right amount of strength, then let go, watching the arrow fly and land it's mark.

It hit the guy in the middle of his chest and the pair turned to look at me surprised. Hak and Kija had also ran to Yona-nee's aid, but I got there first, so now they too were staring at me. I just grinned and walked over to the group.

"Oh? Is it...already finished? How many did you defeat?" Kija asked Hak as they stood back to back.

"Huh? I don't remember." He replied.

"I got 28." Kija bragged as he seemed to sparkle.

"Then I got 40." Really Hak? There wasn't even that many people there.

"You liar! You just said you don't remember, did you not?! There were not that many people in the first-...place..." Kija trailed off as he collapsed. Must've exhausted himself.

 **~Third person POV~**

"Kija?!" Yona shouted in concern.

"Kugh.." Kija groaned as he clutched his right arm.

"Are you alright, Kija?" Yona asked him, very concerned for her new companion.

"...Yes. I acted a little too violently. I was supposed to display a more refined battle.." Kija answered her dejectedly.

"No. I thought you did good. That bloody way the white dragon deity fights...is so exhilarating . There was never someone who came at me seriously during the time I was at the castle. Let's have a bout one more...time.." Hak trailed off as he too collapsed.

"Hak!" Yona shouted sweatdropping at the man sprawled out on the ground.

"Did he die?" Yona slapped him.

"He's not dead!" Yona shouted.

"Looks dead." Tsukiko laughed.

"Argh idiot! His wounds are reopening! His wounds haven't actually healed. He acts indifferent, but he was pretty roughened up." Yoon explained. Tsukiko laughed, catching the attention of everyone.

"Hak you idiot. Should've been more careful. Hahahahaha..." She trailed off as she stumbled slightly, but quickly caught herself. Yoon looked at her suspiciously.

"Tsuuuu..." Yoon warned.

"Yes Yoon?" She replied innocently.

"Your wound is open, isn't it?" He asked her.

"Yeeaahhhh..." She replied scratching her head.

"Idiot!" He shouted hitting her head slightly. But he had to catch her as she fainted.

"Are they monsters?" Kija asked staring at the two injured and unconscious people.

"I don't think they want to hear that from you." Yoon stated bluntly as he readjusted Tsukiko so she was on his back.

"The sun is setting. We need to find somewhere to sleep." Yoon said looking up at the sky.

"Hm? Is there an inn around here?" Kija asked like the pampered man he is.

"...We're sleeping outside." Yoon deadpanned.

"Sleeping outside?" Kija's face went blank as he stared at Yoon.

"Lord Hakuryuu must remain at the back of the line." Yoon gestured angrily. Turning around he saw Yona trying to pull Hak by his hair.

"Wait. What're you doing, Princess?!" He shouted.

"But Hak can't move. If I can't carry him..." She spoke quietly, until Kija came along and easily slung him over his shoulder.

"You're amazing Kija!" Yona shouted excitedly.

"The arm of the dragon has ten times the strength of a normal person." Yona began piling stuff up onto his other arm.

"Oh...well...It is just the right arm, though." He struggled holding the pile of things. Yona was looking at Hak with a very concerned look on her face.

"This man will be alright." Kija reassured her.

"Eh? Yes...Hak is a strong person. Right now he can protect me, but...someday I want...to protect him." Yona explained to the white haired man.

"Princess, even though you have always been within the castle...you are strong." Kija praised her.

"I'm nowhere near strong." She disagreed.

"But you were not alarmed by the bandits." Kija seemed confused as he looked at her.

"Right...bandits aren't scary. To me, nothing is more frightening...than what happened that night. Oh, Yoon is calling. Let's go." Yona ran off catching up to Yoon and Tsukiko.

"Yes!" Came the reply of Kija.

"Yaayyy! Let's gooo.." Tsukiko cheered tiredly, raising her fist, then slumping back against Yoon's back. Everyone (that was conscious) laughed at the small girl.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	14. Chapter 13

**~Third person POV~**

The gang had stopped for the day, placing their unconscious friends down carefully so that they could be treated. Hak was sat against a tree, while Tsukiko was laying on her front next to the fire. The three conscious members were also sat around the fire eating their portions of food. Yoon sat next to the sleeping Tsukiko, Yona next to him and the Kija next to her, also being opposite Yoon.

"What...is this?" Kija asked looking at the so called food in disgust.

"It's dinner. What else?" Yoon answered looking down at his food, he seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"Dinner? These are weeds that were growing alongside the mountain trail from earlier, are they not?" Kija seemed to sweat as he looked at Yoon intensely.

"They're not weeds! I told you they're mountain vegetables that you can eat! Just be grateful that I didn't put bugs in it!" Yoon shouted back, snapping out of his daze.

"Bugs?! You cook bugs?!" Kija shouted, terrified.

"Bugs are nutritious." Yoon stated with a straight face.

"Princess...Are you faring well...? With this kind of food...?" Kija asked Yona, concerned for her well being. In the background you could hear Yoon shout in protest.

"I still can't eat the bugs, but...I'm rather used to it. Because I...have had no room to say...that I dislike it." Yona's face went blank as she recalled the things she, Tsukiko and Hak had to eat as the journeyed to the Wind Clan.

"Ever since Yoon came along, our meals have become really good! They were bad when it was just me, Tsukiko and Hak...Huh? Why are you crying?" Yona ranted on, though she stopped when she realised that Kija was crying. Yoon had perked up at the mention of his name and the compliments she gave his food.

"What did you say about my food? I can't hear you." Hak's voice rang out as he lent against the tree, his left arm resting on the band of his robe.

"Hak, you're awake? How is you're injury?" Yona had walked over to them and was resting her hands on her knees as she lent towards him.

"Injury? What about it? More importantly, what did you say about my food?" Hak asked her again, gesturing for her to tell him.

"Food? What about it? Oh, were you hungry?" Yona tilted her head grinning as she brushed the topic aside. Hak smirked at the ease she showed at avoiding the subject.

"Can you move? Do you want me to feed you? Here, open wide." Yona pushed a spoon into his face, Hak stared at the spoon blankly for a bit before opening his mouth with a small blush on his cheek.

"Princess! Leave an odd task like that to me!" Kija butted in grabbing the spoon from her hand and holding it near Hak's face. The two began bickering, making a certain silver haired girl groan and wake up. Hak and Kija stopped fighting as they turned to look at the small girl as she sat up slowly and rubbed her eye. She then stretched her arms over her head, just to retract them quickly as a sharp pain stung her back, making her yelp and moan in pain.

"Be careful. Your wounds were opened during the fight." Yoon informed her softly as he crouched in front of her. She looked down sadly.

"Sorry. You had to carry me here. I must have been heavy." Yoon stared at her in disbelief.

"Tsu, you're far from heavy. You're actually really light, it makes me think you haven't been eating properly." Yoon told her placing his hands on her shoulders gently.

"Now you need to eat something. Here." He handed her a small bowl of food. She just shook her head and laid back down turning away from him.

"I'm not hungry thank you." She declined quietly. Yoon frowned as he turned to the others.

"Now then, if we're done eating, about Seiryuu's location...Kija, where do you sense Seiryuu's presence?" Yoon asked looking down at his map.

"There is something around there or..." Kija trailed off not really sure where he could feel the presence.

"Okay, sorry for the trouble." Yoon stated bluntly.

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

I only ever cause trouble for people. If I had been more careful I wouldn't have opened my wound and Yoon wouldn't have had to carry me back here. I should've left the fighting to Hak and Kija, they had it covered. They didn't need my help. As these thoughts ran around in my head I pulled myself into a tighter ball, I winced but didn't move from the position. Yona-nee and the others were talking about finding the Blue Dragon. These dragon warriors are all fighters, when we find them all, what is there gonna be left for me to do? Yoon can do anything other than fighting, Yona-nee will master the bow, the Dragon Warriors have powers beyond human belief, then there's Hak, stronger than any human I know, probably as strong as the Dragon Warriors.

With all these new people joining our group, I'll be forgotten and left worthless. I'll be left in Yona-nee's shadow as she shines like the sun. It always happens, I'm always forgotten. Tears fell down my face as I cried silently, the others had stopped talking a while ago and I assume they went to sleep. The silence only made the thoughts in my head louder. I gripped my hair tightly, curling myself into a tighter ball.

 _ **'You'll never be like Yona.'**_

 _ **'She's the descendant of King Hiryuu. You're just nothing.'**_

 _ **'She's prettier.'**_

 _ **'She's thinner.'**_

 _ **'She's more important.'**_

 _ **'She's stronger.'**_

 _ **'She's the favourite.'**_

 _ **'She shines brighter.'**_

'Why? Why me? Why can't I be like her? Why do I have to be in her shadow? Why?' Tears fell down my pale cheeks quickly as I covered my mouth to quiet any sobs. My chest felt heavy as I cried and cried. Suddenly I felt gentle hands on top of mine, pulling them out of my now tangled hair. I turned around to see Yoon staring at me concerned.

"Tsu..? What's wrong? Is it your wound?" He asked me gently, I just shook my head and covered my face with my hands.

"I'm sorry." I spoke quietly shaking my head.

"Tsu, please, talk to me." Yoon's gentle voice seemed to echo in the silence. I shook my head again. I can't tell him. I don't want to be more of a burden to him.

"Tsu..." Yoon gently pulled my hands away from my face. He was laying on his side looking at me in the eyes.

"I know I've not known you long Tsu. But you can trust me. Please talk to me." He pleaded intertwining his fingers with mine.

"Yoon...I can't...I don't want to be a burden..." I whispered quietly looking away from him. Suddenly I was pulled into a hug. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me tightly to his chest.

"Tsu, you could never be a burden. Get some sleep. I won't push you. But I will always remember you and always be here for you." He whispered stroking my hair. My tears stopped and I began to feel sleepy.

"Thank you...Yoon.." I whispered back to him gripping his shirt as I let sleep take me to the land of dreams.

 **~3rd person POV ~ Time skip to le morning ~**

The gang had all woken up and were on their way to where ever the Blue Dragon is. Everyone seemed fine other than Kija who looked sleep deprived, very sleep deprived.

"Kyaaaa! Kija, your pretty face looks terrible!" Yona shouted with tears in the corner of her eyes.

"I...I am sorry you have to see this..." Kija apologised weakly.

"Hey there's a bug on your back." Hak teased leaning close to him so he could look at his back.

"GYAA!" Kija screamed in fear of the bug.

"Kija, wait! Hak is lying!" Yona tried to reassure the poor scared soul. Hak just continued walking whistling a tune.

"Please be quiet, you upbeat animals." Yoon ordered them, annoyed. A small giggle was heard from next to Yoon, he turned smiling at the small silver haired girl. She had small bags under her eyes and they were slightly red from crying. But she still wore that bright smile of hers.

"Do you understand? We're going to be entering villages from now on. Plus this is the land of the Fire Tribe. Don't do anything to cause a scene!" Yoon shouted as everyone lined up together.

"That'd be hard Yoon. Hak will be noticeable cause he's an ex-general. Yona-nee has red hair and is a Princess. Kija has silver hair and a dragon claw for a hand. I have silver hair too and I'm a Princess. The there's Yoon who isn't as noticeable but is still really pretty so will be stared at anyway." Tsukiko explained pointing to everyone as she said their names. Yoon blushed slightly as she smiled innocently at him.

"Yeah it's impossible." Yoon agreed. They continued walking for a while longer till they came across a small village, where they stopped.

"Kija." Yoon called. Kija stepped forward closing his eyes so he could concentrate on feeling the Seiryuu's presence. He sighed sadly and turned to the others.

"He is not here." He told them dejectedly.

"This wasn't going to be so easy, right? Then now we go ten villages back..." Yoon trailed off thinking to himself. Tsukiko's eyes widened as she looked at the map.

"Wait." Her and Hak said together.

"You can't go there." Tsukiko started. Hak nodded agreeing with her.

"Yeah, it's become a training ground for the fire tribe's army." Hak finished. Yoon held a surprised expression as he looked between the two.

"Eh? The what about here?" He asked pointing at the map. Hak stood next to him so he could look over his shoulder. While Tsukiko jumped on Hak's back so she too could see the map.

"That place has recently been conquered." Hak told him crossing his arms over his chest. Tsukiko nodded her head in approval while Yoon looked surprised.

"Whoa, it would have been bad if we had gone there." Yoon stated with wide eyes. The trio continued talking over the map whilst Kija and Yona were having a heart to heart.

"Kija. What's wrong?" Yona asked looking up at him.

"Nothing..." Kija answered her. After that amazing conversation the trio sorting out the places to search walked over to them.

"It's settled! It's a bit of a walk, but I've narrowed it down to three possible places that the village may be at." Yoon announced, Tsukiko had cut in to say that she and Hak had also helped but Yoon just ignored her making the poor girl pout and punch his arm lightly.

"Really?" Yona asked surprised as she turned towards them.

"I'm surprised you know so much, thunder beast. You too Tsu, I didn't expect you to know so much." Yoon said to the pair. Tsukiko grinned holding up a peace sign, while Hak just smirked.

"Well, I was once a general. I had to know military affairs and changes of the other tribes." Hak explained, still holding the smirk.

"When I wasn't helping the people around the castle then I was studying." Tsukiko told them both, Hak ruffled her hair, while Yoon's eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Tell me about it next time!" He ordered the two.

"Well then, let's go." With that everyone began making their way to the first village.

 **~Times skip~**

"How about here, Kija?" Yoon asked as everyone stopped to look at the white haired male. He in reply shook his head sadly.

"Not here, either~~?" Yoon whined as everyone slumped to the ground. Hak, Yoon and Yona had sat down, Kija was still on his feet and Tsukiko was flat on her face moaning about how much her feet hurt.

"It is further that way..." Kija pointed out to where some mountains stood.

"Huh? Still further? This is weird. We've gone to all those possible places, but...Kaitei is up ahead, right? Could it be possible that Seiryuu crossed the border?" Yoon thought out loud putting a hand to his head.

"Your nose isn't clogged is it White Snake?" Hak teased Kija. Who got angry quickly and began yelling at the black haired man.

"I do not know where he is by scent!" He shouted leaning close to the male. Suddenly Kija's eyes widened and he turned towards the red haired princess.

"Princess, have you hurt your feet?" He asked her fully concerned for his masters health.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest a bit." Yona replied whilst rubbing her left ankle a bit.

"Drink." Yoon ordered her shoving a fluid bag in her face. She took it and swallowed some, only for her eyes to brighten and a blush to dawn her face.

"It's delicious! What is this?" She asked excitedly.

"Loquat cider. Drink it and restore your strength. I'll put some crushed chervil on your ankle, so let's stop and rest for today." Yoon informed her, this made everyone relax as they didn't have to walk around anymore that day.

"Yoon, you know so much, you're amazing." Yona complimented him.

 **~Night time wooo~**

Everyone was sleeping peacefully. Other than Kija who was shaking and looking very tired. Hak was propped against the trunk of a tree, while Yona, Tsukiko and Yoon were huddled close for warmth. Tsukiko was lying on her back holding both Yoon and Yona's hands. While they were all asleep and sound Kija was having a mental breakdown. But he too eventually fell asleep. Only to be awoken by the sound of thunking.

 **Tsukiko's POV**

 _ **~Dream yayy~**_

I was walking around in a dark room as usual, nothing new. Voices in my head telling me the most negative things. When suddenly a bright light blinded me. When the light died down there stood a man with blue hair and the most beautiful eyes. I continued to stare into his eyes until he turned and ran away.

"Wait! Don't go! Who are you?!" I shouted reaching out to him. But he just kept running, until the scenery changed and we were inside a cave. I stopped to look around the place, it looked like any normal cave. Why was I here? Who was that man? Suddenly the voices that were quiet began shouting, louder than they usually do. I clutched my head as I fell to my knees.

 _"Weak."_

 _"Burden."_

 _"Unwanted."_

 _"Forgotten."_

"Stop it.." I pleaded quietly feeling tears start to fall down my face. Suddenly I felt a hand on the top of my head, catching me by surprise and making me snap my head up to look at the person. It was the blue haired man from earlier. His eyes showed concern as he stared at me. I quickly wiped my tears and put on my best smile trying not to worry him. His brows scrunched in confusion and he shook his head.

"Wha-" I started but was cut off as he pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly while stroking my shoulder length silver, that had come out of their pigtails. I felt my eyes tear up again and I began sobbing quietly. He remained silent as I clutched onto his robe. Slowly though I began to fall asleep.

 **~Back to the real world bloop~**

I opened my eyes finding that everyone else was already awake and eating food, but I couldn't stop thinking about that dream. Who was that man? I continued to think as I packed away my stuff and joined the others around the fire.

"Here Tsu. Eat up." Yoon said as he passed me a small bowl of food. I thanked him and took the food only to just play around with it.

"Sorry Yoon..I don't have much of an appetite..." I apologised as I handed the bowl back to him, not even having eaten any of it.

"But Tsu..you haven't eaten since the day before yesterday..." Yoon sounded very concerned. I just smiled at him and reassured him I was okay. Just not hungry. With that Yoon very reluctantly gave my food to Yona-nee who gladly took the food, eating it happily.

Once Yona-nee had eaten the food she walked over to talk to Kija. I thought back to my dream and the blue haired man. His eyes, they seemed very dragon like, my eyes widened. What if..he was the blue dragon?

"Yoon! What if the Seiryuu doesn't live in a visible village? What if he and his village lived in like the mountains or something?" I spoke to him recalling the cave I ended up in, in my dream. His eyes widened and he quickly got out his map.

"I got it!" He shouted, I glared at him playfully since he took credit for the idea I came up with.

"Yoon?" Yona-nee asked confused.

"Seiryuu's village. It was a blind spot. It's because I thought people couldn't live there, but...Tsukiko brought it up so I thought about the idea again. They must be there...right on the border. In those rocky mountains!" Yoon made sure to give me credit as he explained where Seiryuu's village was.

We made our long trek to the mountains and surprisingly made it in no time. Soon enough we were staring up at a mountain that seemed to have rooms or houses carved into the sides of the walls.

"No way. There's an inhabitable village in a place like this?" Hak stared in awe at the mountain village.

"Right?! Upon first glance, all you see is rocky mountains right? Ik-soo told me that story long ago, people who fled from a war...lived in seclusion within these mountains. Hey, Kija..." Yoon was talking and we all turned to Kija as he called out to said man. His eyes were wide and he was staring in a daze.

"Here. Seiryuu...is close by."

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	15. Chapter 14

**~Third person POV~**

"Kija? Are you certain?" Yona looked at him in awe.

"Yes. Right here...Seiryuu is somewhere inside." Kija confirmed looking up at the mountain. Tsukiko cheered as she ran ahead to where the entrance was. Yoon quickly ran after her scolding her for running off on her own. This others calmly walked after the pair and once they were together again began walking through the entrance. Kija leading the way with Tsukiko skipping by his side.

"They excavate the rocks and live here?" Hak asked looked around the cave. Tsukiko looked around in awe of the place and how they did this themselves.

"Hold on. It's dangerous! Any careless moves and..-" Yoon was cut off as Kija shouted about not caring, causing Tsukiko to laugh at the face he was making.

"It's just that when me and Tsu entered your village we were put in a cage and nearly killed." Yoon deadpanned. Tsukiko shivered and slowed down before she ran behind Yoon clutching his hand tightly.

"I don't wanna be put in a cage again..." She whispered quietly. Yoon looked down at the shaking girl and smiled reassuring her that they wouldn't let her be put in a cage ever again.

"We need to be more discrete." Yoon began to sweat. The sound of fabric moving caught the attention of the silver haired princess as she moved to hide behind the boy more.

"We have guests...?" An old man asked as he stepped out from behind some fabric that were covering other rooms. The groups heads all snapped towards the man surprised as his sudden entrance.

"Bring Seiryuu here!" Kija bluntly shouted, Yoon looked at him in disbelief before he turned away.

"Now that's being too forward." He commented. The people that had shown themselves looked at each other in confusion.

"Seiryuu...?" Looking at the others behind him the man seemed confused.

"There is nobody here with a name like that." He answered them calmly.

"It is not a name. It is the person who has the blood of the dragon. He does not need to hide. Tell him that this person is waiting." Kija explained, drawing the attention to Yona who looked shocked at the sudden attention. The man just stared at her blankly.

"I don't know what it is you are telling me...Don't you have the wrong location? This is nothing but a small village. It's a place where the poor who managed to escape from the conflicts of the fire tribe...thrive in peace. We are not disturbed very much, so this is a bother." The old man explained to them.

"But..-" Kija started only to be cut off by Yona.

"I'm sorry. We were traveling to find someone but, it seems he wasn't here. But we are tired from our journey and we have 2 injured people." Yona pointed to Hak and Tsukiko, Hak opened the front of his robe, while Tsukiko clutched Yoon's hand tighter, causing said boy to wince and gently squeeze her hand back.

"Will it be okay if we rest here for a little bit?" She continued.

"That...must have been difficult." The man hesitantly answered, glancing at the small girl hiding behind the strawberry blonde haired boy.

"As you see, we are a poor village. So we cannot provide special treatment..." The man trailed of still eyeing the silver haired girl.

"We don't mind. Thank you." Yona was grateful for the opportunity to rest for a bit. Suddenly a person wearing a mask walked past her. At the same time another mask wearing person walked past Tsukiko, bumping shoulders with her as he walked past. Her eyes followed the figure as he disappeared into a entrance another part of the massive cave.

"What are those masks for?" Yona asked while staring at a couple of villagers

"It is a custom. Those who are unmarried do not show their faces in front of others often..."The man explained.

"It is probably an astonishing thing from your point of view. It is like a maze when you enter this place. Do not wander very far. It is not our responsibility...if something happens." Tsukiko shrunk away from the man as he stared at her with a glint in his eyes.

 **~To the group resting in a room thing~**

"I wonder if this place is really the village of Seiryuu." Yoon asked as the group sat in a room.

"Why?" Yona asked looking down at him from her position lent against the wall.

"Unlike in the village of Hakuryuu, they weren't so thankful, and they didn't react to your red hair when they saw it." Yoon explained looking over at Yona. He was sitting against the wall between Yona and Hak, who was slouched against the wall.

"P...Princess! I definitely feel it! From here Seiryuu is..." Kija started panicking as he thought she doubted him.

"Sill Kija, I don't doubt you." Yona assured him. He blushed and stuttered out an okay whilst fist bumping.

"Silly." Hak casually commented, causing Kija to shout at him and they began fighting again.

"That old man...he kept glancing at me...something isn't right here.." Tsukiko said quietly, Yoon placed his hand on her head, patting it softly. She looked up at him to see the genius pretty boy giving her a comforting smile. She smiled back and stood up stretching her aching muscles.

"Well, anyway...We know that Seiryuu is close by. We must meet the person himself or we can't get started. Let's go while there's no one around." Yoon explained as he too stretched out his limbs.

"They said this place was a maze. Will we be alright Yoon?" Yona innocently asked. Tsukiko giggled to herself.

"Princess/Yona-nee...I am/he is a pretty boy genius, right?" Yoon and Tsukiko said at the same time. Though the silver haired Princess said it a lot quieter.

"I'll make a map while we're here, and then we'll take this place by storm!" Yoon shouted enthusiastically.

"Let's Conquer!" Yona Tsukiko and Hak shouted throwing their right arm in the air.

"Conquer?" Kija joined in but was also very confused. The group then began their adventure around the maze like cave. Until they reached a dead end.

"A dead end!" Yoon shouted angrily, punching a wall. Tsukiko stared at his hand concerned.

"Why isn't Seiryuu here?" He asked drawing the dead end onto the map.

"This is inexcusable, Seiryuu. Why has he not come out?! He ought to know that I am nearby." Kija talked to himself more than the others, his face red with anger.

"It's cause you're hot and bothered." Hak spoke casually, leaning against the wall.

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

Yona-nee and Kija were arguing and having a heart to heart again. Kija seems very self conscious, but also very strong willed and opinionated. I had my back against a wall, my arms crossed over my chest as I waited for something to happen. Suddenly I felt a chill run up my spine. It's like I'm being watched. It seems Yoon is feeling it too.

"I may have found the spot where the villagers are. Let's go." I heard Hak say. But I didn't follow him. I could hear a cute squeaking coming from somewhere in the walls. I carefully moved my hands along the walls looking for a lever or something. Suddenly my hand pushed back a square of the wall. I heard a gasp and turned to find Yona-nee staring into a door that must have been hidden. We looked at each other and nodded as we walked into the passage.

"AW!" Yona-nee squealed. I quickly spotted what had her squealing. It was a cute little squirrel, Yona-nee picked it up as her face seemed to sparkle.

"Cute! Hak! There's an animal here..." Her mood changed as the room went dark. I gasped and turned towards where the door was. It wasn't there anymore, we're trapped in a dark tight passage. Yona-nee panicked shouting everyone's names, while I stood frozen to the spot.

"Did you get lost?" A man that suddenly appeared asked.

"Did you get separated from your friends?" He added.

"Y-yes. Do you live here?" Yona answered him, having finally calmed down.

"...Yes. Take my hand. I'll bring you to where your friends are." The man held his hand out to Yona-nee. She naively took the hand and began following him as she was pulled along.

'Yona-nee...No..' I thought as I quickly followed after them.

"Thank you...! You saved me. I was having trouble in the dark." Yona-nee tried to make conversation.

"The village chief should have told you this place is a maze." The man spoke in a monotone voice.

"I'm sorry, but there's someone I want to find no matter what..." Yona-nee trailed off.

"...Is it Seiryuu...?" I'm not liking the sound of this guy. He's giving me the creeps. Wait...Aren't we heading further into the passage way. I quickly ran in between the 2 and yanked Yona-nee's hand away from the man. He seemed surprised and reached out for me instead. I pushed Yona-nee away telling her to run and get Hak or someone. She reluctantly did just that, leaving me alone with the man that just tried to kidnap her.

He began dragging me further and further. I started to think that she had forgotten about me. I slowly stopped struggling as the thought came to me. Forgotten again. Suddenly there was a warmth on my right shoulder and hand. I looked up to see a man in a mask.

"Who...?" My vision became blurry as I started feeling weak. The mysterious mans grip was gone and all I could feel was the new warmth from my rescuer. My legs gave out from under me as I collapsed. Thankfully I was caught, would've hurt if I wasn't. I felt myself being picked up gently.

"Thank you..." I whispered as I let darkness completely take over.

 **~Third person POV~**

The masked man looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms as he walked deeper into the passage. They soon came to a room, there was nothing inside the space, only darkness as it seemed to make the room feel colder than it older is.

Walking over to a corner of the room the man carefully say the small girl on the floor. He reached behind his head to take off his fluffy wig. He gently covered the young girl with it to keep her warm. The squirrel from earlier joined her in the fluffy mass, snuggling close to her warmth.

The man sat next to the silver haired girl, wondering who she was. He had seen how she took the place of the red haired girl and thought about how she sacrificed herself for for the girl. She was surprisingly brave for such a small girl. Suddenly the girls face contorted into that of fear as tears fell from her closed eyes. Panicked the mysterious man looked around not knowing what to do.

"Pikyuu!" The high pitched squeak came from the small squirrel that was lightly patting the crying girls cheek. Following the squirrels example the man placed his hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears that fell. She seemed to relax a lot, leaning into his warm touch. Under the mask a small smile adorned the mysterious mans face as he gazed at the girl who seemed to be comforted by his touch.

A soft groan snapped him out of his daze and he quickly moved his hand back as the girl opened her eyes and looked around the dark room.

"Where...am I...?" Tsukiko's soft voice cut through the silence as she continued to look around the room. She sat up quickly as she noticed the man sitting beside her.

"Thank you for helping me.." She bowed slightly in thanks. The man shook his head silently telling her it was okay and she didn't have to bow. She smiled softly at him and looked to where his eyes would be.

"Who are you?" She asked him politely tilting her head to the side. There was a moment of silence before his quiet voice broke the silence.

"...Seiryuu.." Tsukiko's eyes widened and she smiled brightly as she seemed to sparkle.

"Me and my friends are here looking for you!" She shouted quietly. This caused the man to become angry. He thought he was stupid for feeling as though he could trust this girl, when she really only wanted his power. He quickly pulled out his sword pointing it at the poor girl.

"My power is a curse. I won't give it to you. I won't let you." He spoke quietly but with a strong voice.

"It's okay..I'd never use you Seiryuu-san. You seem lonely down here..I want to be your friend..." Tsukiko smiled at him sadly.

"But if you want me to go I will." She added as she stood up shakily using the wall as support.

"I should get back to my friends anyway...they're probably wondering where I am...if they haven't forgotten about me though..." She trailed of quietly. The blue haired male stared at the frail girl with wide eyes as she slowly made her way towards the rooms exit. Though she didn't get far as she stumbled and fell to her knees. Seiryuu stood up to help the girl but she just shook her head.

"I'm okay. I'm fine." Her voice cracked and she brought her hands up to cover her face.

"Ah..." A panicked noise came out of Seiryuu's mouth as he realised he had made her cry. Silently he made his way over to her and hugged her softly.

"Sorry.." He mumbled softly as he let Tsukiko cry into his shoulder.

"It's not your fault." She replied to him pulling away as she wiped the remainder of tears. A wave of tiredness washed over her as she went limp against his form. Carefully picking her up he walked back to the corner of the room and sat down with her in his lap. Falling asleep himself not long after.

 **~With Yona. Going back to before Shin-ah turned up~**

Tsukiko pushed her sister away telling her to run, and reluctantly she did. She ran until she saw a light and heard the voices of her friends. Smiling to herself she ran faster.

"Princess!" The shouted got louder as she stepped through the doorway and back into what they had thought was a dead end.

"Are you alright?!" Hak shouted as he ran over to her, followed by a panicked Yoon.

"You idiot! Stick close to us, idiot!" Yoon shouted at her as Hak held his head in relief.

"I'm sorry but there was this squirrel and we went into the passageway, then I nearly got taken and Tsukiko-" She stopped abruptly her eyes widening as she tried to run back into the passageway. Tried but failed as Hak held her back.

"Let me go! Tsukiko is still down there!" She shouted her voice trembling, terrified about what could have happened to her sister.

"What?!" Yoon shouted angrily.

"You just left her down there by herself?!" He continued to shout.

"She told me to find you guys..." Yona tried to reason.

"How could you just leave her?! She's your sister! You could've helped!" His voice held so much worry as he thought about the silver haired Princess.

"He's here.." Kija spoke up. Everyone snapped their heads towards the white dragon warrior.

"Seiryuu is close by." He added as he looked in the direction that Yona had appeared from. This seemed to make everyone forget that one of their members were missing as they thought about the blue dragon warrior. But a certain pretty boy genius was still very worried about the missing Princess. Hoping. Praying. That she was safe.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	16. Chapter 15

**~Third person POV~**

Seiryuu had woken up to a burning in his eyes, he dared not move so he wouldn't wake up the girl sleeping on his lap. He groaned quietly clutching his head slightly.

"Are you okay?" A small voice called out in the silence of the cave. Seiryuu nodded his head slightly staring down at the girl.

"Oh! I never introduced myself. I'm Tsukiko." The silver haired Princess smile brightly. The blue dragon stared in awe at the seemingly fragile girl. They sat in silence, Tsukiko still in the lap of the blue haired male.

"Pikyuu!" Came a squeak, followed by the pitter patter of tiny paws. The ginger squirrel jumped into Tsukiko's lap, running up her arm and sitting on her shoulder.

"Awwww! You're so cute!" She cooed rubbing his furry cheek gently. Seiryuu smiled down at the scene in front of him.

 **~Scene change. With the others.~**

"It seemed a villager was trying to take you away underground?!" Yona nodded in reply, about to open to add something she was cut off by Kija in all his white fury.

"How dare they! They have done nothing but disrespect the Princess! Then they go and try to lock her away underground! So it seems they want to feel my wrath, huh?!" He shouted as his dragon claw grew bigger.

"Calm down. Seriously. Does the young lord think he can just slice up and kill any normal person who happens to be dangerous? Grow up." Hak spoke calmly but with a dangerous tone whilst gripping his glaive.

"You need to calm down to ex-general! Plus aren't you forgetting Tsu?! She's still down there somewhere! Why didn't we go looking for her?!" Yoon shouted concerned for the small girl that was left behind. He went unnoticed, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. _'I'm sorry you have to be treated this way Tsu...I hope you're okay.."_

 _ **~Back to Seiryuu and Tsukiko~**_

Somehow Tsukiko had managed to get a fever and was now laying curled up in Seiryuu's fluffy wig. He sat next to her stroking her hair softly trying to sooth her as she writhed in pain. Suddenly footsteps could be heard, making Seiryuu's head snap towards the cave entrance. Quickly he got into a defensive position in front of Tsukiko, hand on his sword, ready for anyone that may come down.

The figures came into view, revealing themselves to be Yona and Yoon. They both stood by the entrance staring at the blue haired male, they were yet to notice the silver haired Princess laying behind him.

Seiryuu's eyes widened as he stared at the red haired girl, recognizing her as the one who left eh young girl alone.

"Hello." She greeted with a smile.

"UGRAAARGH." Seiryuu shouted whilst drawing his sword. Yona kept a straight face, while Yoon looked horrified for his life.

"This is bad Princess! The one squatting down with a mask inside this cellar was a dangerous guy after all! I'm calling Kija." Yoon trembled next to Yona, patting her shoulder several times.

"Pikyu!"

"Oh! So we meet again!" Yona cooed smiling down at the squirrel.

"Eh?"

"It's the tiny puffy-cheeked animal!" She stated in awe.

"What's...this little fella's name?" She asked as said animal chewed on her earring. There was a long pause between the group.

"...Ao..." He finally answered quietly.

"Oh, he answered." Yoon commented.

"It doesn't fit him at all." Yona honestly stated with a smile on her face.

"Meet him halfway, Princess!" Yoon shouted trying to not get the man riled up.

"I'm Yona. What's your name?" She asked, stepping forward slightly.

"...The Sei...ryuu..." He replied hesitantly. Yoon and Yona seemed surprised at the name he had given them.

"...Your name. That's not your own name, is it?" Yona questioned, smiling slightly.

"...Don't have...a name...Just the Seiryuu." He answered her. Yona began walking towards him when he suddenly swung his sword.

"STAY AWAY..!" He shouted making Yona stop abruptly.

"Who are you people...? Why have you come to this village?! Why are you approaching me?! Why is that white dragon..." He trailed off very distressed. Yona stood stoic staring straight at him.

"I...came here in order to meet you. Seiryuu. I was you to loan me your power. I want you to come with me." Yona told him gently.

"My...power..." His eyes widened and he lunged at Yona, grabbing her by the front of her cloak and throwing her against the wall. He held his sword to her neck.

"Princess!" Yoon shouted.

"Enemies..those who desire the power of Seiryuu...ARE ENEMIES..!" Seiryuu shouted angrily, though he knew he should get rid of her, he couldn't his hand shook, something telling him he should protect the girl, not endanger her.

"You...what are you...? I don't...know you. Why..." He trailed off, clenching his teeth.

"Seiryuu. I'm not your enemy. I'm searching for the four dragons...so my companions and I can continue living. I want to welcome you as a friend." She held her hand out, shining brightly at him. He looked to the floor.

"...I...am...cursed. So..."

"Cursed...?"

"This power...must never...know...of the outside. It's a destructive power."

"Who said that?"

"It's the truth. I won't...use the power of these eyes again."

"So...you're saying you won't go...? No matter what?"

"...Leave...Leave."

"Princess?" Yoon asked as she stared at the now crouched figure of Seiryuu. She sighed and turned to leave, Yoon trailing behind her. But he stopped quickly as he heard a quiet groan come from inside the cave. He turned around eyes wide as he saw the silver haired Princess sit up holding her head.

"Tsu!" He shouted running over to her. He knelt next to her examining her quickly but gently.

"Yoon...?" She asked weakly, breathing heavily. Said boy stared at her worriedly.

"Tsu...What's wrong?" He asked placing his hand on her forehead, only to draw it back quickly at how hot it was.

"Tsu! You have a high fever! Why didn't you come and find us?" He asked starting to lift her up. Only for Seiryuu to come over and stop him, laying the girl back down, covering her up with the white fluff.

"You've been...looking after her...?" Yoon asked him quietly. The blue haired male nodded his head slightly.

"Sorry...I...thought...Yona-nee...would've...forgotten...to tell...you..." Tsukiko panted out. She struggled to breathe, a sudden rumble and faint screaming made the silver haired girl sit up quickly.

"Yona-nee!" She shouted worriedly, stumbling up onto her feet and running through the entrance of the cave. Yoon ran after her calling her name and telling her to rest. But she ignored him worried for her sisters safety. They soon reached a room full of people in masks along with Kija and Yona. Though the entrance was blocked by rocks and Kija was covering an unconscious Yona.

"Yona-nee!" Tsukiko shouted running over to her and grabbing the red haired Princess. Knocking Kija out of the way in the process.

"Wake up! Yona-nee!" She shouted shaking her sister slightly. Yona groaned and scrunched her eyes together.

"Hng...Tsukiko..?" She asked quietly, said silver haired Princess smiled and hugged her sister close.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Tsukiko cried in relief, glad that nothing happened to her older sister while she wasn't around.

"Me? Tsukiko, you've been missing for a while. Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?" Yona rambled on checking her younger sister over. Tsukiko laughed in replied and grinned.

"I'm perfectly fine! Seiryuu saved me! He's been looking after me this whole time!" She stood up and looked around at all the villagers that were panicking over the sealed entrance.

"It's no use."

"The entrance to this passage is blocked."

"It can't be.."

"It's a lie, right?!"

"We're going to die?!"

"Hey! This isn't funny!"

"Yoon..." Yona and Tsukiko turned towards the trembling strawberry blonde boy.

"We've been shut in...with this amount of people in this cramped space..we'll run out of air..!" Yoon looked terrified as he curled into a ball. Tsukiko quickly ran over to him and hugged him tightly, whispering soothing words into his ear.

"I told you- Why do you have to keep saying that?!" Kija's angry voice split through the air, making Yona and Tsukiko stare at him blankly.

"Kija..?" Yona asked him confused.

"Oh, I apologise. For some reason that brute of a man suddenly- _Take care of her.' -_ popped up in my head and say that. Somehow it makes me very irritated. Protecting the Princess is my duty." Kija groaned, remembering what Hak had said to him earlier.

"I feel kinda better." Yona smiled.

"I am feeling well, too. As long as I am here...There is nothing to worry about." Kija explained confidently unraveling the bandages around his dragon claw.

"Ki...Kija...What are you planning to do by taking out that claw...?" Yoon asked sweatdropping, he hadn't noticed but Tsukiko was blushing madly as she still had her arms around his neck, but he had his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, pulling her closely to his chest.

"Dig." He replied shortly. The 3 looked at him in shock. His claw grew larger and the villagers looked at him in fear.

"UWAAAAH!"

"A monster...!"

"AAAHHH!"

"You are being noisy. You people who protect the village of Seiryuu are so pitiful. I told you I was Hakuryuu." Kija glared at them.

"Ha...Hakuryuu...?"

"They really exist?"

"There are other dragons other than Lord Seiryuu who have a cursed power?!"

"Ah...Ah..."

"UWAAAAA."

"I can't take this anymore!"

"Let me out! Let me out!"

"I never...wanted to live in these cellars in the first place!"

"He did this...he did...It's his fault...!"

"SHUT UP!" The voice of the usually quiet girl echoed throughout the cave. Yoon, Kija and Yona stared at her in shock.

"Why?! Why do you think like that?! None of this is his fault! He's been protecting you! You know nothing of the pain he's gone through for you! Years of solitude! He spent years all alone! Because of you!" The small girl cried loudly, Yoon quickly grabbed her and hugged her tightly, stroking her hair gently.

"Why? Why is Seiryuu's power cursed? He isn't evil...!" Yona joined in on defending the blue haired male.

"What does an outsider like you understand?!"

"A monster...with the dragon eyes has always been born in this village. We live in constant fear of the power of the Seiryuu. Even if the Seiryuu dies, someone's child becomes the Seiryuu again. It might be my child next...! We live in fear until we die!"

"We...must never let that curse he holds roam freely on the outside. When the Seiryuu is born we immediately put on a mask. He can't go outside very often either. That is the law. And yet...because of that we feared the soldiers would come again...and we settled here."

"I can't stand it anymore! If it isn't a curse then what is it?!" The villagers continued to cry and pity themselves.

"You're horrible people." Tsukiko angrily spoke.

"You can't just take away someone's freedom like that!" She began shouting again, she broke free from Yoon's grasp and walked closer to the villagers.

"He's not cursed! He's just misunderstood! What right do you have, to do what you do?!" She shouted, getting angrier by the word.

"What would someone like you know?!" A man shouted walking closer to her and grabbing her by the neck. She gritted her teeth in pain, she lifted her hands to grip his wrist.

"You know nothing of pain or suffering! You don't know what we have to go through!" The villager shouted in her face.

"You know...of nothing...that I have...been through..." Tsukiko choked out as his grip got tighter.

"Tsu!/Tsukiko!" Yoon, Kija and Yona shouted as she was lifted off the ground. Suddenly the sound of bells could be heard.

"EEK...!" The man holding Tsukiko screamed, dropping her in front. She fell to the floor gripping her neck and coughing roughly, trying to catch the breath she had lost. Tears streamed from her eyes as Yoon ran over to her and brought her into a hug.

"Se...Lord.."

"Seiryuu!"

"I-I didn't say anything!"

"Ah..!"

"I...was telling the outsiders..."

"U...Ah...UWAAAAA! STAY AWAY, MONSTER!"

"Please don't kill me! Stay away!" The man that had been choking Tsukiko shouted as he reached his arm out and swiped at the blue haired male, catching his mask at the same time, making it fall to the floor. Tsukiko and Yona stared in awe at the man's eyes.

 _'They're so beautiful...'_ Tsukiko thought her eyes wide and bright.

"The mask...Lord Seiryuu's...mask has..." The villagers trembled in fear. _'What wimps..'_ Tsukiko rolled her eyes, getting out of Yoon's arms again and walking over to the fallen mask, picking it up gently.

"Ah...Ah..."

"What's wrong?!" Yoon asked the man who seemed to be whining as he crouched on the floor with his arms covering his head.

"If...If you look into his eyes...you'll turn into stone...!" He shouted in fear. _'What an obvious lie. How could they believe something like that?'_ Tsukiko thought clutching the mask in her hands tighter.

"He...he came...to kill us." He continued.

"He wouldn't hurt you! You're all wrong about him!" Tsukiko shouted spreading her arms out as if to protect the blue haired male from the words they were saying. Seiryuu stared at the small girl in awe, but calmly he closed his eyes as to not scare the villagers further.

"Here." Tsukiko smiled at the blue dragon as she handed him his mask. He nodded in reply and gently took the mask out of her hands.

"What did you come for, Seiryuu? You have no intentions of leaving with us, am I right?" Kija questioned him, though he didn't reply, just bent down to grab a dropped axe. He walked towards Kija, who at this point looked like he'd wet himself. Bringing the axe up above his head he quickly brought it down. Of course onto the wall next to Kija, he wouldn't hurt the guy. The white haired male stood frozen, eyes wide as Seiryuu continued to whack at the wall with the axe.

"...ARGH!" Kija blushed in anger.

"You! If you came to help us escape, shouldn't you have said so?! It would be tragic if the dragon warriors had to fight against one another!" He shouted fuming in anger.

"...By the way...Where are you digging?" Kija tilted his head slightly in question.

"This spot...is connected to the outside. It's quicker to break this down." Seiryuu explained timidly.

"Why did you not say that sooner?!" Kija shouted .

"Princess, we will dig through this quickly, so please wait..." Kija spoke whilst turning towards the read head.

"I'm digging, too." She spoke confidently.

"Let me borrow this." She turned and took a knife from a random villager.

"You must not. Helping the Princess is our duty as dragons..." Kija blushed.

"Our?" Seiryuu whispered confused.

"Let me do it...Let me do it too! Let's hurry and get out of here!" Yona shouted her face tinted red.

"...Yes!" Kija replied in awe.

"Dig if you guys value your lives, too." Yoon ordered the villagers as he walked to part of the wall, carrying a knife he may or may not have stolen. Tsukiko smiled and walked towards of a wall no one was at. She began hitting the wall in several places, listening for the place that sounded the most hollow. She quickly found it and grinned as she hit that place over and over.

It wasn't long after they began digging that everyone began to feel dizzy from the decreasing of air. Tsukiko stood strong, not letting anyone know of how she was, though Yona was not so lucky as she toppled over. Only to be caught by Seiryuu.

"Sei...ryuu..." Yona weakly called.

"Seiryuu! Take the Princess to your room!" Kija shouted as he huffed and wheezed.

"I'm fine..." Yona tried to convince them. Though Seiryuu was having none of it and lifted her up, and carried her out of the crowded room and down the passage to his room.

~Tsukiko's POV~

I followed the figures of Yona-nee and Seiryuu as they slowly faded into the darkness of the passageway. Whipping some sweat off my forehead I quickly got back to work chipping away at the wall. My mind was going hazy and my vision was fading in and out.

 _'No...I can't faint. I have to stay strong. We need to get out of here. I can't add more to the trouble we're in...'_ I gathered all of my strength and continued to chip away at the rocks, sooner or later Yona-nee came back and was working harder than before.

Suddenly the wall was smashed in, I turned away from the blast shielding my head. A large piece of rock had hit my back, making me wince in pain. I reached behind me to feel my back, only to touch something wet. Pulling my hand back I saw that my fingers were covered in a red substance. Blood. _'Dammit...my wounds opened again..'_

"Princess!" Hak's voice boomed.

"Hak...!" Yona-nee shouted back happily. I watched as everyone rushed out of the hole in the wall. Yona was engulfed by Hak's large form and Kija was yelling at him. Seiryuu was staring in awe, I smiled weakly at the sight. I pulled myself up using the wall for support, as I went to take a step forward, I stumbled slightly, but quickly caught myself and walked towards the group and standing next to Yoon.

~Third person POV~

"Hak you knew about that spot well."

"I got the information from the villagers. They spilt their secret that around Seiryuu's room...there's a group of family members who live there." - Hak

"That's good. Even they're not the kind of people who would abandon their own families..." - Yona

"Though they're easy to scare." Yoon stated as he stared at the screaming villager that were running away from Seiryuu.

"So? What're you gonna do about that, Princess? That's a tough one." Hak looked over at the red haired Princess.

"I can't give up." She pouted, causing everyone to smile.

"Seiryuu! I'll say it one more time! Let's leave together. I want...to take you along." Yona smiled, reaching her hand out to the blue haired male.

"...I..." Seiryuu was hesitant.

"You won't have to close your eyes in front of me. Does your power really murder people aimlessly? Even though Ao has become this attached to you? Ao understands. You...are not destructive." Yona smiled down at him, his eyes widened under his mask. He slowly reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Thanks for looking after us!" Yona waved as the group walked away. Seiryuu turned to the group of villagers and bowed slightly. As he turned around to leave the bells on his mask fell onto the floor, making him stop and stare at them.

 _'I'm alright now. Even without the sound of the bells, I'll be able to call out to him. Would he laugh if I told him I made some friends? I can't even remember the face...of that person I loved anymore.'_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona (sadly), Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	17. Chapter 16

**(HIII A/N at the beginning of a chapter woooaahhhhh.** _Just italics is thoughts._ Underlined italics are voices inside Tsukiko's head **NOW ON WITH THE CHAPTER! WOOOO)**

 **~Third person POV~**

The gang had made it a little ways away from the Seiryuu village, when Yoon realised they didn't know where they were going.

"Kija. Do you know where the next dragon is?" Yoon asked facing the white dragon.

"That's...right...The next...of the four...dragons..." Kija collapsed.

"Kija?!" The group (minus Hak and Shin-ah) shouted in concern.

"It... must be fatigue. It's because he was digging with all his strength earlier." Yoon explained, kneeling next to the man. Tsukiko took the stop as a chance to rest, her fever was still there and her wound was still bleeding.

 _'What should I do? Yoon is looking after Kija, I can't just go over there and ask for help. That'd be selfish.'_ Tsukiko thought as she pulled her knees to her chest. The others had gotten up and followed Seiryuu who had ran away from Kija, due to him being creepy. So she was left alone.

 _'I wish someone would think of me first...It's always Yona-nee.'_ Tsukiko sighed, tears started falling down her cheeks, her breathing became heavier as her chest ached. Decided she should find the others she pulled herself up and began walking towards where she could sense the group. When she found them , they were surrounding a wet shaking Seiryuu.

"Let's start a fire to warm Seiryuu up...and cook the fish he caught." Yoon suggested, everyone nodding their heads in reply.

The group sat around the fire that was cooking their food, Kija was resting. But Tsukiko was sat against a tree by herself, she stared at the group that were smiling and laughing together. None of them had even thought to check on Tsukiko, even Yoon seemed to have over looked her. It may have been to the fatigue or just simply her visibility to him wore out, but he hadn't called out to her since they had been at Seiryuu's village.

Yoon passed everyone bowls of food, each accepting with gratitude. When he turned to give Tsukiko her portion he noticed her weakened state for the first time, her complex was paler than usual, bags under her eyes, she looked slightly thinner than normal. She seemed to be deep in thought about something too. It was then he realised that he hadn't talked to her since they were in the caves.

His eyes widened and filled with guilt, slowly he walked over to her and plopped down on her left.

"Tsu..." He called softly, voice full of guilt. She only smiled at him, but he could tell it was fake, her eyes were filled with sadness and loneliness.

"I'm sorry Tsu...I-" He started but was cut off as Tsukiko lent her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay Yoon. I'm used to being forgotten by now. Plus you were looking after Kija. So it's understandable." Tsukiko spoke quietly.

"No Tsu. It's not okay, you shouldn't be used to something like that. I'm so sorry Tsu. I would never forget you." Yoon lay his head on top of hers.

"Also here is your food. You haven't eaten in a couple of days and you had a fever earlier." He said handing her the food he had poured out for her.

"Thanks Yoon, but I'm not really hungry." She spoke weakly.

"Tsu, you have to eat. You're getting weaker." Yoon forced her to take the bowl.

"Please just eat a little." He pleaded looking into her eyes. She sighed, but slowly and shakily she scooped some of the food into the spoon and brought it to her mouth. Taking a breath she gingerly ate the food on the spoon. She gagged slightly and placed the bowl onto the floor.

"I'm sorry Yoon. I can't." She whispered looking away from him. His face contorted in worry, reaching over he grabbed her hands, gasping at how hot they were.

"Tsu...don't tell me...you still have that fever...?" He asked her hesitantly, she only avoided his gaze, worrying him further. Gently he began pushing her down **(Get your heads out of the gutter)** so she lay on her back. Once her back touched the ground she gasped and winced, sitting back up again.

"Tsu! You can't keep these things from me! How am I supposed to help you, if you don't tell me?!" Yoon shouted turning to face her fully.

"You were busy so-" Tsukiko had started but was cut off as Yoon started shouting at her again.

"That's no excuse! Anything could've happened to you!" His voice held so much worry, this made Tsukiko feel terrible. She hadn't meant to worry him so much.

 _'I'm such a burden to them.'_ She thought looking down at her hands that rested in her lap. Yoon sighed, calming himself down and looking at her fondly.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you Tsu. But please tell me when something like this happens. I don't like seeing you in so much discomfort." Tsukiko just nodded her head in reply, still looking down at the ground.

"Sorry Yoon..." She apologised solemnly. Yoon shook his head and smiled down at the girl.

"Don't apologise Tsu. It's okay." He lifted her head gently by placing his hand under her chin.

"I know you don't feel it or think it. But you are important." He smiled brightly, she blushed, her face turning the colour of a tomato. She only nodded her head, too flustered to say anything. Chuckling Yoon reached over to his bag.

"Now let's get you fixed up."

 **~Le time skip~**

Tsukiko lay on her front as not to aggravate the wound she had opened on her back. Everyone was doing their own thing, though Yoon and Yona sat together chatting away and laughing. Tsukiko felt something bubbling up in her chest, it hurt watching the 2 act so close. Yoon looked over at the young Princess and smile, causing her to blush and hide her face in her arms. The self proclaimed genius stared at the girl in amusement and confusion.

Tsukiko peaked out of her arms to see Yoon blushing as he spoke to her older sister.

 _'You're sister is far better than you.'_

 _'You can never be like her.'_

 _'Why did you think you were ever important to him?'_

 _'He cares about Yona more.'_

 _'Everyone cares about Yona more.'_

 _'You're nothing but a shadow.'_

 _'I know already. Please stop.'_ Tsukiko cried placing her head in her arms again. She heard footsteps fading but payed it no mind as she was currently dealing with her own problems.

 _'I thought I was more important than her to someone. I guess I was wrong. No one will ever see me more than they see Yona-nee...'_ She began to cry more.

 _'I want to believe you, Yoon...but it's hard when so many things tell me otherwise...'_ Her chest got heavy as she quietly sobbed into her arms. Suddenly there was a wait on her head, making her stiffen.

"It's okay to cry Tsu. Let it out. I'm here." Yoon's comforting and soothing voice broke through the silence. That's when she broke down, she sobbed loudly into her arms, Yoon stayed with her, stroking her hair until she calmed down.

Slowly she sat up and faced the young boy. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red and slightly swollen. But Yoon still thought she was beautiful, he smiled and wiped away the last of her tears. Carefully he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. She blushed brightly but smiled in content, she lay her head on his chest and slowly drifted of.

"Thank you...Yoon..Goodnight..." She said as she fell asleep. Yoon had a small blush on his cheeks as he lent down and kissed her head.

"Goodnight Tsu." He replied fondly as he to drifted off into the land of dreams.

 **~Time skip to the morning~**

"It's morning!" Yona shouted waking everyone up, Tsukiko and Yoon who had cuddled as they slept were blushing a deep shade of red. Yoon couldn't look at her without blushing due to what he had done when he thought she was sleeping. Remembering that he had kissed her head made her stomach feel funny.

"Kija, how are you feeling?" Yona asked as she walked over to the sleepy white dragon warrior.

"..." He sat up in a daze and stared out into the distance.

"Kija?" Yona called out to him.

"Green...I sense...Ryokuryuu..." Tsukiko and Yona's eyes sparked as they cheered happily. Hak and Yoon both stared at their favourite people with a fond look in their eyes and slight smiles on their faces.

"Let's see...the direction where Kija sensed Ryokuryuu...is in this range. We'll end up hitting Capital Saika and Hiryuu Castle if we go straight. So let's confirm Ryokuryuu's location while we take a detour along the mountains." Yoon explained looking at his map. Everyone nodded and began packing up quickly.

The group had stopped so that Shin-ah could look for anyone that happened to be passing by.

"Shin-ah...is there anyone there?" Yona called up to the blue haired male that was in a tree using his eyes to look for anyone that may be up ahead. Almost silently the man landed on the floor, straightening up he shook his head.

"Nobody? Then let's go." Yoon smiled as he turned around and pulled out his map, leading the group. Tsukiko walked beside him, their shoulders brushing against each others occasionally.

"The ability to see far away is great! It's nice to search for places where people aren't around!" Yoon bragged. Tsukiko smirked and nudged his arm.

"You speak as if it's you that has the power Yoon." She laughed as he blushed slightly pouted. They continued to chat and laugh as they group made their journey around the mountains. Though everything went silent as they entered a very run down village. At this point Yona was leading as Tsukiko and Yoon trailed behind.

"This place...It's a village that was abandoned...by the general and the king.. This area hasn't cultivated crops for years...and their's no water. It's likely because the able-bodied men were all brought to the capital to be trained as soldiers." Yoon explained as Yona looked stunned and saddened. Where as Tsukiko looked like she was going to start sobbing.

"Illness runs rampant...and only those without the strength to migrate are left to die here...Terrible." Yona looked down at the ground sadly.

"The village I was born in was like this, too. The land of fire is vast, but almost all of it is barren." Everyone looked around sullenly as they continued talking.

"Even with that, the head of the Fire tribe, General Kan Soo-Jin, keeps all the money just for the government." Yoon continued.

"Idiot." Kija spoke bluntly. Suddenly a groan was heard from not too far away, this alerted everyone.

"Is he alright...?" Yona asked about to go over to him and help, but she was stopped by Yoon.

"You shouldn't get too close. You could get sick." Yoon told her sternly.

"But..." She trailed off looking at him. Yoon just walked away from her and over to the man himself, kneeling next to him.

"It may not ease your pain, but here's some medicine and water. I also have an apple." He said as he set the things next to the frail man.

"Oh..." He weakly said in reply lifting himself up on his weak arms. Yona and Tsukiko had both walked over to help the man. Tsukiko sat the man up whilst Yona helped him drink the water. Yoon looked at them in shock before his gaze softened and he smiled.

"A..Are you people from Saika...?" The man asked them weakly.

"No, we're travelers." Yoon replied.

"I see...then have you been to Kuuto...? The new King that has risen...I wonder what kind of person he is...? The last King...Il was a horrible King." The man started, not aware that the old Kings daughters were right next to him. Yona looked horrified and her eyes were dead. Whereas Tsukiko looked down in shame her hair covering her eyes.

"When pressures from other countries mounted...he only cared about not making a ruckus. And while the other tribes grew...he didn't give aid to the citizens who were weak. Whose King was he? It'll be nice if this King is a good person...If he is someone who can...bring change to this country..." With every word he spoke Yona seemed to get more upset, Tsukiko hadn't moved and was still looking at the ground.

"Oh, thank you Miss. I don't know how long it's been since someone's touched me..." The man thanked Yona, forgetting that Tsukiko was there. Not that she cared at this moment in time.

"No...please get well." Yona told them man, her eyes still void of emotion. She stood up wiping her tears on the sleeve of her dress.

"I-I'll be gone just a minute. Don't follow me, okay?" She said as she put on her best smile and then ran away. Whilst the group of males spoke Tsukiko continued to sit still, her knees pulled to her chest. She tried to think of something, anything she could do that could help, even a tiny bit. Her eyes widened and she stood up, not yet catching the attention of the group. Walking out into the middle of the street she took a deep breath and began to sing.

 **(The song is "Viva Happy, by Miku Hatsune)**

 **~"ah ah... maiku OK"**

 **"ikku yo!"**

 **minisukaato de shuugeki da! (kyun)**

 **gyappu moe shite shougeki da! (kyun)**

 **koi no mosou kairo bousou dema dema hora (buubuu)**

 **"da, da, da, da, daisuki" kokutte choodai yo (hai hai)**

 **dacchuu kedo kuuru ni ruuzu biito kikasete**

 **baribari chuun~**

She had caught the attention of her fellow travelers as well as a lot of the villagers.

 **~Pu! Pu!**

 **Hey hey hey hey!~**

The group she had traveled with were staring at her confused and in awe. Yoon was surprised at how she plucked the courage to sing in front of them. To try and cheer the people up no less.

 **~"ja ja ja ja~n!"**

 **setsunakute mo yarusenakute mo**

 **(kabadi, kabadi... Fight!) "mou!"**

 **ano ko ni nante narenai kara**

 **(kabadi, kabadi... Fight!)**

 **ari no mama no jibun wo aisereba Que sera sera**

 **ima wa hitoribocchi no kimi ni uta wo ageru**

 **"hai! douzo!"**

 **vivivivivi... Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **iya iya arasoi wa shinai shugi**

 **No No Non Non**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **poro poro namida shite**

 **hitoyo hitoyo ni hitorigoto~**

By now she had everyone's attention, even Yona had come back. They were amazed at the confidence she had whilst singing and dancing.

 **~(M I K U)**

 **shikararete mo sekasarete mo**

 **(kabadi, kabadi...) "uwaa!"**

 **dasshu de kekka motome sugi yo**

 **(kabadi kabadi... Fight!)**

 **"joushiki" wa itsu made mo otonatachi no surangu**

 **muishiki no uchuu kara kimi ni todoku sain**

 **"hai!"**

 **vivivivivi... Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **kuta kuta suimin wa hachi jikan**

 **yeah yeah yay yay**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **are kore shitai kedo "shitai!"**

 **I my me mine kiri kiri mai~**

Some of the villagers had started to clap and sway along to the rhythm.

 **~"happii ni furumau kimi ga suki da yo"**

 **chotto junjou na piipoo chansu tourai mo gekichin**

 **chuutohanpa na osekkyou kita "sonna ni seken wa amakunai! dakara..."**

 **"yamete!"**

 **suruu de abataa ni chenji!**

 **baachuru biinasu boosuto Bass de Born**

 **"nyan!"**

 **Viva! ...Happy**

 **iya iya arasoi wa shinai shugi**

 **No No Non Non**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **Viva! Viva! Happy! (churu chu chu)**

 **poro poro namida shite**

 **"sonna ni seken wa amukunai!"**

 **Viva!~**

Tsukiko bowed with a bright red blush on her cheeks as people clapped. She looked around at the smiles she managed to put on people's faces and she too smiled for she was able to spread a little happiness in this sad village.

Shyly she walked over to her group, her face still red from suddenly acting out like that.

"That was amazing Tsukiko! You sounded so cute! You moved with such grace!" Kija shouted making her blush even more, her face looked like a tomato. Hak and Yona both smiled, proud of her for overcoming her shyness, even if it was just a little. Shin-ha ruffled her hair and smiled slightly.

"That was amazing Tsu." Yoon complimented her, he too had a small blush on his face. _'She looked so cute dancing around with that smile on her face. Her voice was so pretty and cheerful.'_ Yoon blushed at his own thoughts, turning away from the silver haired girl and following the rest as they walked to somewhere that they would be resting. Tsukiko's smile got smaller as she watched him walk away from her.

She looked down about to follow them, when she saw Yoon's hand open by his side, waiting for her to grab it. Smiling brightly she ran to catch up, holding his hand in hers. She looked up at him, only to see him looking away, but she could see a red tint on his ears, which made her giggle and squeeze his hand. Yoon squeezed it back and looked down at the smaller girl fondly.

 **~Time skip to le morning~**

The group had woken up, packed up camp and had walked Awa port. Yoon and Tsukiko had been together the whole walk there, where as the others walked by themselves or switched who they walked with **(*Cough cough* Yona *cough cough*)**

"Whoa! It's a port city!" Yona shouted in glee.

"Hak! Hey, is that the sea? So pretty! It's my first time seeing it!" Yona blushed in delight as everyone minus Hak stared out at the sea.

"Awa port of the earth tribe. Never thought I'd come here again." Hak spoke calmly.

"You've been here before, Thunder Beast?" Yoon asked the black haired man.

"Gramps brought me here a long time ago." He answered.

"Kija, does it feel like Ryokuryuu is here?" Yona looked up to the white haired dragon.

"Well...I sense him, but...Ryokuryuu's presence keeps shifting around everywhere...I feel dizzy just following it..." Kija fell to the floor in a daze.

"Kija?!"

The power of the dragons isn't omnipotent. Maybe their power suddenly plummets when they go over their limit. Now I want to experiment." Yoon stared at the 2 dragons with a creepy grin on his face. Tsukiko hit him over the head.

"Bad Yoon." She scolded him.

"But while I want to search for Ryokuryuu...we need to rest from our journey. I want to stock up supplies and food while we're here." Yoon thought out loud.

"Okay! Let's go to the port!" Yona shouted in glee. Tsukiko shook her head at how naive her older sister was.

"NO! You guys can't come along! Especially the one in the mask!" He shouted at them in reply, making Shin-ha sulk, Kija was quick to try and comfort him.

"Then I'll go." Hak suggested.

"You will?" Yoon asked.

"I want to look around for weapons anyway. I kind of remember my way around the town." Hak explained trying to remember the layout of town.

"Hak. I want to go, too." Yona stepped up to him. Hak only stared back at her blankly.

"Miss Princess, you've become awfully ugly lately." Hak told her bluntly, she was shocked at first, but quickly got angry. So did Kija.

"Hey! How dare you say that! The Princess is b-b-beautiful!" He stuttered out as he blushed cutely.

"You have dark circles under your eyes...and your hands are hurt. You've worked too hard. Relax a bit." Hak patted her head.

"I have no idea what you mean." Yona replied pouting.

"I'll go with you Hak!" Tsukiko shouted raising her hand. Hak was about to protest when she cut him off.

"I'm not noticeable anyway and you'll probably forget everything we need." She said with a straight face.

"She's right. You will probably forget." Yoon agreed nodding his head.

"Whatever."

"There might be people who will recognise you. Don't do anything to stir trouble!" Yoon ordered.

"You're the ones who need to lie low. Oh, this will stand out, so hold on to it for me." Hak said throwing his glaive at a clueless looking Yoon.

"Now, White snake..."

"You do not need to ask anything!" Kija interrupted pulling Shin-ha next to him as he stood behind Yona.

"Hak. Hurry back." Yona told him as she looked up at him cutely. As they walked away Tsukiko nudged his side.

"You loooove her." She teased him. He smirked back at her.

"You loooove Yoon." He teased back, making her blush a million shades of red. He laughed and continued down the street.

"It's been a while since I've been in such a lively city."

"Hey Mister~~~~3 Why don't you stop by?" A lady popped up.

"Anyways, I need to hurry back!" He reminded himself cheerfully, causing Tsukiko to laugh and hurry to catch up with him as he sped along the streets of Awa port. She looked around at the people living there, only to realise that their smiles were fake, their eyes held so much negative emotion. She pulled on Hak's cloak.

"Hak..." She trailed off, he nodded his head as he looked around.

"Yeah I know." He replied.

"P-PLEASE STOP!" Came a sudden shout.

"What? We're Awa officers."

"Just who do you think it's thanks to that you can go on living your life?"

"Tell me how much I can buy you for. That's not bad, is it?" 2 men were harassing a women in broad daylight.

"You're bothering me...let me go!" The lady struggled. Tsukiko looked up at Hak pleading him to help her, but he just turned away. Her eyes widened and she grew angry. _'Fine. I'll help her.'_ She thought as she stepped forward.

"Someone help!"

"HEY!" She shouted at the same time as Hak and a green haired man punching/kicking the man away from the women. Tsukiko stood in awe as the man flew a few feet. But movement on the caught the girls attention, she stared at the green haired mans back as a girl sat up stretching slightly. She had light brown hair tied in a ponytail, decorated with a butterfly pin. Her eyes were 2 different colours, red and blue.

"Wha?! Who are you?!"

"Argh...I did it." Tsukiko smiled, glad that he had decided to help.

"Hm..? The so-called seducer was ugly. So I couldn't help it."

"Eh?" The 2 men had finally spotted each other. Tsukiko face palmed whilst the mysterious girl giggled.

"Oh geez.."

 **A/N OHHHH I wonder who tho mystery girl is? You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out! I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	18. Chapter 17

**(A/N WOOO!** _Italics is thoughts._ _Underline italics are the voices in Tsukiko's head._ **ON WITH THE STORY!)**

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

"Oh geez..." I sighed shaking my head.

"Do you tow think...that you will...ESCAPE FROM THIS UNSCATHED?!" The not knocked out filthy soldier shouted charging at the 2. Hak easily disarmed the man while the other guy knocked him away.

"Come back when you learn to treat women nicely." The green haired man stated. _'Oookaaayyy. He's weird, and who's that girl?'_ My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shouting and loud footsteps. When I looked up to warn Hak I found that he wasn't there. _'He just left me here?'_ I thought my eyes wide.

"Hey girl!" 1 of the soldiers walked over to me, I backed up until I bumped into something. Looking behind I saw another soldier. He gripped my shoulders roughly, causing me to wince.

"Did you see what happened here?!" The soldier in front of me shouted. I shook my head quickly. The man stared at me for a little too long, then smirked and stepped back.

"I think we'll take her with us. She looks like she could give us a good time." He told the man holding me. My eyes widened and I began to shake in fear, my eyes tearing up too.

"No! Let me go!" I shouted hoping Hak would hear and come back for me.

"No one is going to help you little girl." I was held tighter and pushed forward. Obviously not wanting to be taken I swung my leg back kicking the man where the sun don't shine. He groaned and let me go, I ran but didn't get far before I was grabbed.

"NO!" I shouted trying to pull my arm away from the man that was holding my wrist tightly. He pushed me against a wall and held my hands above my head. Tears were now streaming down my face as he lent his body against mine.

"Stop it...Let me go.." I pleaded, but the lack of food was beginning to take it's toll on me and I was getting weaker.

"Losing the fight in ya, huh?" The guy holding me laughed leaning closer to me, I tried to pulled back but there was no where to do. His grip on my wrists got tighter causing me to wince in pain, the tears were still falling down my face and I had stopped struggling. Smirking widely the soldier guy leaned his face to the crook of my neck, I could feel his breath and it made me shiver in disgust.

 _'I don't want this. Someone help me. Please.'_ I pleaded shutting my eyes tightly.

 _'No one is coming for you. They've forgotten about you.'_

 _'Just admit it. You've stopped fighting cause you really enjoy this.'_

 _'You're not as innocent as you make yourself out to be.'_

I sobbed quietly as the man began kissing and sucking on my neck, my cries only got louder as he let 1 of his hands let go of my wrists and trail down my side. He undid the bow on my sash loosening my outer top, his hands found their way to my breasts and I gasped beginning to struggle again.

"STOP IT!" I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone, anyone would come and save me. The man scowled and gripped my wrists tighter, it felt like the bones would've snapped, he then pulled me forward a bit and pushed me roughly against the wall. This caused my head to snap back and hit the wall. Hard. I cried out and my vision began to fade in and out of focus.

"Shut up! No one is gonna help you!" The man shouted as he began trailing his hands voer my body again. Just as he was about to grab my chest again, his weight was gone and I fell to the floor. Not daring to look up I backed up against the wall and hugged my knees to my chest. After a few moments I heard foot steps coming towards me and pulled myself into a tighter ball, shaking and crying.

"Hey..." A soft voice called.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you." The voice continued, hesitantly I lifted my head from my arms to look at the person in front of me. There stood the girl from earlier, she was crouched with 1 knee placed on the floor.

"Hey there." She greeted again with a smile on her face. I just stared at her not trusting my voice.

"Come with me and we can get you cleaned up, okay?" She asked me softly, I nodded my head slowly, deciding to trust her. She grinned and stood up holding her hand out to me. I stared at her hand for a bit, then gingerly grabbed her hand. She pulled me to my feet gently only to have me stumble slightly.

"Woah there!" The girl called catching me before I hit the floor.

"Sorry..." I replied quietly, my throat hurt from speaking so loudly.

"It's okay! Let me carry you! Get some rest!" The girl shouted cheerfully bending down to pick me up bridal style. I wrapped my arms around her neck so I didn't fall and lent my head in the crook of her neck feeling fatigue take it's toll on me.

"So what's your name Kawaii-chan?" I blushed at the nickname and giggled softly.

"I'm Tsukiko." I replied quietly, my voice muffled due to my face being stuffed between her neck and shoulder.

"Well Tsukiko, I'm Mia. Nice to meet you." I only nodded in reply, closing my eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

 **~Mia's POV~**

I looked down at the cute silver haired girl in my arms. _'How could the guards do something like that to a girl so young?'_ I thought to myself frowning as I ran faster back to the ship. It didn't take long and once I was there Jae-ha was bombarding me with questions.

"Shut up you idiot! Can you not see the sleeping girl?!" I shouted, causing his eyes to widen and then shift to look at the girl sleeping in my arms, her own arms wrapped around my neck.

"Why did you bring her here?" Jae-ha asked sternly.

"She was being harassed by the soldiers." I replied seriously. His eyes widened again as he looked at the girl, his eyes stopping on her head, her beautiful silver hair was red with blood.

"They took advantage of such a young girl?" Jae-ha asked in disbelief. I nodded my head solemnly.

"She was screaming and crying, he had her pinned up against the wall" I explained a dark tone etching into my voice.

"What are you 2 doing just standing there?!" A loud voice boomed. Captain Gi-Gan stepped next to Jae-ha, her eyes widening once they landed on the injured girl.

"Bring her to my room and have her treated immediately." She ordered, I nodded my head and walked quickly to her room. Jae-ha who was walking with me opened the door, I walked into the room and gently set Tsukiko down.

 **~Third person POV and time skip~**

After cleaning Tsukiko up Jae-ha and Mia left the room to speak to Captain Gi-gan.

"Mia, what happened to that young girl?" Gi-gan asked holding her pipe in her fingers.

"Well, first of all we technically met her when Jae-ha and a black haired guy saved a girl from teh soldiers. Once more soldiers began flooding in we all ran, though I was on Jae-ha's back. When we stopped I realised that Tsukiko- that's her name by the way- wasn't with us. Jumping off Jae-ha's back and running the way we came I found her screaming and crying as a soldier held her hands above her head as she was pinned against the wall." Mia explained angrily.

"So she's travelling with the black haired man?" Jae-ha asked placing his hand under his chin.

"Seems that way." Mia nodded her head.

"If that's the case then why would he just leave her alone?" Jae-ha asked the tone in his voice serious.

"We'll have to wait for her to wake up, then we can ask her, herself." Captain Gi-gan said. The pair nodded their heads, and headed to the room that said girl was resting in. A small thud was heard making the 2 snap their heads in the direction it came from.

"Ow..." A small voice cringed. Mia quickly raced to Captain Gi-gan's room and threw the door open, starting the small girl inside.

"Are you okay?!" Mia screamed running over to Tsukiko, beginning to check her over for any injuries.

"I'm okay." Jae-ha could only stare in concern at the seemingly fragile girl. Her voice was so quiet and she was pale and thin. _'Why would that man just leave her by herself?'_ He thought to himself as he stepped inside the room.

"Hey there little lady." He smiled holding his hand up in greeting. Tsukiko stared at the man, tilting her head to the side.

"You have green hair..." She spoke quietly. Jae-ha just smiled and nodded his head, flicking his bangs out of his face.

"Indeed I do." He agreed.

"You're the green dragon..." She added looking him in the eyes. His eyes hardened and he glared at Tsukiko, causing her to jump and hide behind Mia, gripping the older girls shirt with a shaky hand.

"Sorry.." Her small shaky voice apologised. Jae-ha being the big softy he is, stopped glaring and sighed. Walking over to the still hiding girl he crouched next to her.

"It seems you figured me out. Yes I am Ryokuryuu." His voice was strained his eyes hiding some sort of pain. Tsukiko frowned as she looked into his eyes.

"You must be with Hakuryuu and Seiryuu. Are you going to take me to them?" Jae-ha asked rather harshly, but Tsukiko just tilted her head in confusion.

"Why are you sad...?" She asked quietly surprising both Mia and Jae-ha.

"What makes you think I'm sad little lady?" Jae-ha smiled, but Tsukiko just stared with hard eyes.

"Your eyes." She pointed.

"My eyes?" Jae-ha tilted his head. The silver haired Princess nodded her head.

"They show how you really feel. You can fake how you feel on the outside but your eyes show how you really feel..." She explained turning her head away.

"I suppose you're right. You're rather perceptive for someone so young." Jae-ha chuckled.

"Though you wouldn't understand the pain of this world like I do." He added. Mia looked at the green haired male sternly.

"Jae-ha!" She shouted angrily, her eyes hard.

"It's okay...But don't judge me before you know me..." Tsukiko spoke her gaze fixed on the ground. Jae-ha picked up on the pained tone in her voice.

"You idiot." Mia whispered loudly to the green haired male.

"Just because she's young doesn't mean she doesn't know the pain of this world." She added hugging Tsukiko close to her.

"I hate to break up such a touching scene. But how can we trust you when you just show up out of nowhere?" The voice of Captain Gi-gan spoke. Standing quickly the small girl bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry for intruding on your ship. I'll leave if that's what you would prefer." Her quiet voice caused Gi-gan to soften her gaze.

"What is your name child?" Gi-gan asked.

"Tsukiko." She replied straightening up from her bow.

"And how old are you?"

"14."

"Pretty young to be travelling alone." This caused Tsukiko to tense and her figure seemed to deflate some, her eyes glazed over with sadness and her gaze shifted to the floor.

"I'm not travelling by my-myself..." She tried to keep her voice from cracking, but that didn't work so well.

"Then where are the people you're travelling with. Surely they wouldn't just forget one of their own." Her once sad eyes glazed over completely, seemingly looking blank and dead.

"If that's what you want to believe." Her previously soft voice came out blunt, void of emotion. The trio stared at the girl stunned. They turned their heads away from her not knowing what to say. Quiet sobs filled the room causing them all to snap their heads back up to look at the now crying girl.

Jae-ha stared at the girl in concern now, completely regretting what he had said about her not knowing what pain could feel like. Stepping forward he moved quickly over to the younger girl and engulfed her in a hug.

Not long after he pulled her to his chest did he feel his shirt start to get wet as well as her small shaking hands grip his sleeve tightly. Her legs gave out from under her, Jae-ha slowly lowered the both of them to the floor holding her tightly to him. She sat between his legs, his legs stretched out in front of him. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other was over her back, his hand holding her head, stroking her hair lightly. She had her arms wrapped around his back, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt as she cried into his chest.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay little lady." He cooed into her ear softly. Mia and Captain watched the scene before them with smiles on their faces.

 **~With the others~**

"What?! You didn't buy anything?! Jeez, what did you go for then?!" Yoon shouted at Hak angrily.

"Tsu, please tell me you got something?" He waited for a reply, but when he didn't get one he looked behind Hak, seeing nothing he looked up at the black haired male.

"Where's Tsu, Hak...?" Hak only looked away.

"Sorry. They didn't have the stores I thought they would." He tried changing the subject.

"I don't care about that right now! We can all go into town tomorrow." Yoon shouted,

"Hooray!" Yona shouted happily. Yoon shot her an angry glare.

"How can you be so happy when your sister is missing again?!" Yoon shouted angrily. Yona's eyes widened and she looked to Hak.

"Hak..?" She asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Sorry Princess...I..." Hak trailed off.

"Please Hak...Don't tell me you...forgot my sister..." Yona pleaded, but didn't get a response as Hak bowed his head in shame. Yona brought her hands to her mouth as tears spilled from her eyes.

"What?! You forgot Tsukiko?! Hak! She's such a tiny girl! How could you leave her?!" Kija shouted angrily.

"I...don't know..." Hak spoke quietly. The whole group were quiet as they bowed their heads, hoping that the young girl was okay.

 **A/N: AWW Jae-ha and Tsukiko having bonding time. How cute. But Hak forgot her? How could her? Bad Hak. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Disclaimer: do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	19. Chapter 18

**(A/N** _Italics are thoughts._ _Underlined italics are the voices in Tsukiko's head_. **On with the story)**

 ***Re-cap***

 **"Please Hak...Don't tell me you...forgot my sister..."**

 **"What?! You forgot Tsukiko?! Hak! She's a tiny girl! How could you leave her?!"**

 **"I...don't know..."**

 **~Third person POV~**

Hak had gone off on his own, he didn't want to be with the group right now, for one the guards were sure to be after him, and he couldn't face the looks of sadness the others displayed over him forgetting Tsukiko.

"How could I just forget her?" Hak said to himself, holding his head in his hand as he walked around the town. Suddenly he ran into Jae-ha.

"Ah!"

"Oh! You're..." Jae-ha trailed off, half because he didn't know the guys name, and half because he had bonded with Tsukiko, and wasn't too happy with him.

"You're from yesterday..." Hak trailed off not knowing his name.

 **~Time skip (Yes already -_-)~**

Hak and Jae-ha had found themselves in a rather adulty place. Unfortunately for Hak, Yona and Yoon had come along and caught him in said place.

"What are you doing?!" Tsu is missing and this is how you choose to spend your time?!" Yoon shouted angrily.

"Yoon! Princess! What are you doing here...? No this isn't what you think. This guy forced me along...WAIT HE'S GONE!?" He shouted angrily as he turned to find the chair the green haired man had been sitting in, was empty.

"Where did he go?!" He shouted, jumping down from the building.

"Why did you come to a place like this in the middle of the day...?" - Yoon

 **~Time skip (Yes again -_-)~**

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

I had spent the whole day sat in Captain Gi-gan's room, I didn't really want to leave. Mia had made me eat. When I say she made me, I mean she literally shoved it down my throat. I guess it was a good thing she did, since I probably wouldn't have eaten until I was at deaths door, maybe not even then.

Sighing I stood up and trudged out of the room onto the deck of the ship. It was night time and the stars were out.

"Pretty aren't they?" I jumped slightly and turned around to see Jae-ha standing behind me, a gentle smile on his face.

"Yeah." I replied quietly, turning to look back at the night sky. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the green haired male walk to my side and lean against the side of the boat.

"How're you feeling?" He asked me softly. I sighed shakily and shook my head.

"I'm still scared to go into town...and what if...they f-forgot me?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly as I clenched my fists.

"If they did then they were never worthy of your adorable presence." Jae-ha said trying to cheer me up. I blushed slightly and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks Jae-ha." He smile and ruffled my hair in response.

"Jae-ha...aren't you sinking a ship later...?" I asked timidly. He looked at me tilting his head, confused.

"Yes, we are. Why?" His voice held suspicion.

"Well...I wanna help..." I replied quietly.

"I know I look tiny and useless! But I can fight!" I spoke up, looking into his eyes. He stared at me with wide eyes, before they softened and he flicked his fringe out of his face.

"Of course you can. If you say you can fight, then I'll believe you." I smiled brightly and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." I mumbled into his chest. I felt him relax and hug me back.

"Now let's get you ready!" He cheered, pulling away. I nodded my head and we went off to plan.

 **~Another time skip XD~**

I was sat with Jae-ha in the enemies watch tower. I made sure to stay out of sight and in the shadows, waiting for the signal. I was looking out into the far ocean, when I heard Jae-ha begin talking.

"...Not pretty. I replaced your lookout a while ago. I'm the handsome newcomer." He introduced himself while holding a glass of sake.

"Y-You bastard!"

"Who are you?!" Two men screamed up at him.

"Oh? Look, Seniors of mine... could that be...the suspicious boat you talked about?" Jae-ha pointed as Captain Gi-gan's ship came into view from the fog.

"It's-"

"Sink it, you brats." She ordered, causing the men on board to jump onto the enemy ship. I smiled standing up on the edge of the tower.

"It's pirates!" The crew shouted.

"Be careful, little lady." Jae-ha gently grabbed my shoulder. I just smiled in return and jumped down.

 **~Jae'ha's POV~**

I watched as Tsukiko jumped off the tower, she did a flip before gracefully landed in a crouched position, blocking an oncoming sword, with her own Katana.

'Wow, it's pretty high up from here, how did she manage that?' I thought placing my hand on my forehead.

"Take your positions!"

"Fight them off!"

"Take your positions? It's too late now. Because of this the officers will-" I was cut off as an arrow flew past and cut my hand. I looked down seeing an archer pointing another arrow my way. I lowered my hand smirking as I licked the blood from my wound.

"Hm...that breeze felt rather good."

 **~Third person POV~**

Jae-ha jumped high off the tower, looking as though he was flying through the air.

"Ah...this power...truly is the best." He marveled as he soared through the air.

"Here's a gift in return 3" Jae-ha said as he threw a set of Kunai at the archer.

Tsukiko was holding her own, fighting swiftly and accurately, though she made sure not to kill anyone, an order from the Captain.

"DIE!" She quickly ran to help her fallen comrade, blocking the sword from hitting him.

"Tsu..." He breathed out. Suddenly Jae-ha landed on the attacking man, squashing his face into the floor.

"Yo!" He greeted. Tsukiko smiled and ran off to help the others. Whilst fighting she was somehow backed up into a wall, memories flashed through her mind and she dropped her sword, her body trembling. She dropped to her knees gripping her hair tightly. Taking a shaky breath she let out a scream.

Jae-ha and Mia who had both heard her screamed quickly ran off to help her. Once they found her they could feel their bodies tremble in rage. Tsukiko was sat huddled against a wall, tears falling down her face and body shaking. 3 men stood proudly in front of her, smirking at the small form.

Jumping into action Jae-ha kicked them all over the side of the boat, Mia ran over to the small girl and pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her down. Once Jae-ha had gotten rid of the men he turned and hurried back to Tsukiko's side.

"Everything's okay now, Little lady. We're here." He whispered into her ear as took the silver haired Princess into his arms, stroking her hair gently. He picked her up frowning at how light she was, and began walking though the trashed ship. Mia trailed behind him carrying Tsukiko's fallen sword.

Gi-gans crew whispered in concern and worry as they saw the green haired male walk past them holding a trembling silver haired Princess. Jumping onto their own ship he carefully placed the girl down, making sure to keep her close so she wouldn't freak out. Slowly she began calming down, soothed by the green dragons presence. She clutched his hand, staying close to his side as they watched the enemy ship go up in flames.

"It seems Kum-ji wasn't there. What happened to those trash?" The captain asked.

"We put 'em in rafts."

"So you didn't kill them."

"Captain~~"

"That was seriously close."

"We always come prepared to kill, but...we never knock them around enough to kill them."

"That's right. We're trying to make the officers disappear for Awa's sake."

"How foolish can you be? It's because I love you all. I don't want my loved ones carrying the burden of being murderers on their backs." Gi-gan replied avoiding eye contact.

"Mommy~~~"

"I love you, too!"

"I don't remember giving birth to you clumsy brats." Tsukiko laughed at the antics of the crew and captain. Though she wished that she had a family like this. Her eyes became downcast as she thought about Yoon, Yona, Hak and the 2 dragons. Did they really forget? Or did they just not care?

"What's wrong with you, Jae-ha? You're awfully quiet." - Gi-gan

"Hn...My right foot has been aching since yesterday." - Jae-ha

"It feels good to you anyway, doesn't it?" - Gi-gan

"Actually it kinda does 3" - Jae-ha

"Shall I stomp on it?" - Gi-gan

"Thank you Captain I'm alright now 3" - Jae-ha

Tsukiko let go of Jae-ha's hand, stalking away from the crowd of crew members. She found herself climbing the boats watch tower. Hopping into the basket, she sat against the railing holding her legs to her chest.

"I miss you, Yoon...Do you miss me...?" She spoke quietly, a single tear falling down her face as she drifted into sleep.

 **~Time skip to the morning. Also to the Jae-ha's bum stuck in a vase scene~**

Tsukiko had grown bored of staying on the ship all day, so she decided to walk around town. She was scared, but made sure to keep her guard up as she traveled in the shadows. Hearing a very familiar scream she followed it turning a corner she found Jae-ha stuck in a vase.

"Pfft...HAHAHAHAHA" Tsukiko burst out laughing clutching her stomach.

"Yes this must be very funny to you. Glad to be of good entertainment. Now help me out would you." Jae-ha rudely asked.

"Not if you're gonna act like that. No." She huffed, turning away with her hands over her chest.

"Please Tsukiko. You're friends are close." He struggled, not wanting to be scene or caught by any of the dragons.

"They are?! " Tsukiko cheered. Before she could begin helping Jae-ha out of the vase, Kija rounded the corner. Quickly ducking behind a basket she half listened to their conversation as she took deep breaths.

"I FOUND RYOKURYUU!" Looking up at the sudden outburst, she caught a glimpse of Kija holding Jae-ha in the vase, as he ran away. Panicking slightly, she began running after them.

"Poor Hakuryuu." Was the only thing she heard as she turned the corner, seeing Jae-ha jump away, leaving a shocked and sad looking Kija behind.

"Kija..." Tsukiko called quietly. His head snapped around quickly. His face brightening when he saw her.

"Tsukiko! I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried!" He shouted happily as he ran over and hugged her. She hugged him back crying into his chest.

"I thought you forgot about me..." She cried harder, he stroked her hair softly.

"Never Tsukiko. Me, Shin-ha nor Yoon ever forgot you. You're part of our family." And just like that Tsukiko was clutching onto him more, crying tears of joy and sadness.

 _'So Hak and Yona-nee forgot about me...'_

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! I appreciate it a lot.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona. Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	20. Chapter 19

**(A/N** _Italics are thoughts._ _Underlined italics are the voices in Tsukiko's head_. **Hope you enjoy the chapter)**

 **~Third person POV~**

"Come Tsukiko. We must take you back. Yoon has been worried sick." Kija shouted as he began running ahead, pulling the petite girl behind me.

"Wait Kija..." Tsukiko's voice trembled as she struggled to stay out of people's reach.

"What's wrong Tsukiko?" Kija stopped turning to face the shaking girl. His eyes held nothing but concern as she didn't answer him, just looked around, seeming very cautious of those around her.

"Come on." He urged her gently, picking her up and carrying her bridal style. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she tried to calm her nerves. After a bit of walking the pair ran into Yoon. Literally.

"Hey! Watch where you're going Kija!" Yoon shouted not looking up as he pulled himself off the ground and dusted off any dirt. Kija slowly let the silver haired princess down.

"Yoon..." Tsukiko called, very quietly. Her soft voice caused the genius pretty boy to snap in her direction, his eyes teared up and he lept at the younger girl, embracing her tightly.

"Tsu..." His shaky voice called back as he cried into her shoulder. Once the initial surprise wore off, Tsukiko began crying herself, clutching onto the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried." He whispered into her ear, holding her tighter, if that was even possible. Tsukiko wasn't complaining, she had been reunited with Yoon, he hadn't forgotten her, he was worried.

"Yoon...I-I was s-so s-scared..." She stuttered out, her voice weak, tears still streaming down her face.

"It's okay Tsu. You're safe now. I've got you." He cooed into her ear, effectively calming her down.

"Ryokuryuu is close." Kija spoke up looking in a random direction. He then turned to the younger pair, silently telling them to hurry.

"Let's go find the others." Yoon smiled at her, grabbing her hand and following after Kija who had just run off. Tsukiko smiled to herself and squeezed Yoon's hand, happy to be with him again.

"Princess, that man is Ryokuryuu!" Kija shouted as they ran under a bridge and met with the other half of their group. Not knowing how to face her sister and Hak, Tsukiko hid herself behind the slightly panting Yoon, who in turn faced her with a look of confusion. She just continued to stare at Yona and Hak, a pained look in her eyes.

"It's okay Tsu." Yoon whispered reassuringly.

"You'll be on your way, huh?" Hak asked menacingly, grabbing the green haired man in a headlock.

"I'm Ryokuryuu..." Jae-ha gave up, not wanting to be choked to death **(He's enjoying the choking though. Pervert.)**

"You were Ryokuryuu...?" Hak asked hesitantly, not believing that the pervert he met on the street was the green dragon.

"Oh, you're the one from that wanted poster? I heard about you from Hak...and wanted to meet you. I'm glad you turned out to be Ryokuryuu. I'm Yona. What's your name?"

"...It's nice to meet you. My name is Jae-ha. I didn't want to meet you at all...young Lady."

"Did you know I was here?" - Yona

"I didn't think you were this cute of a girl, but...I've been feeling the presence of Hakuryuu and Seiryuu around here lately, so I knew. If they came along with their Master...I was planning to say..."I have no interest in serving you." "Please go home." Jae-ha explained, causing the group to look at him blankly, Tsukiko looked at him with slight pity. She understood his pain, he wanted to be free, it hurt him that he was bound by some kind of fate.

"I'm not Hakuryuu or Seiryuu's Master. Right now, they are lending me their powers. I came because I want to ask you to lend me your power, too."

"I'm glad I seem reliable to a cute girl. But I'm sorry. I don't happen to have the ambition to...live and die for King Hiryuu's sake like Hakuryuu does. I'll choose them people I need to protect..and I'll decide for myself where I'll die. So I'm not interested in lending you my power, Miss." Jae-ha told the red head, being as blunt as he could be to get his point across.

"...Jae-ha...It's alright. you don't need to act so menacing."

"Eh.." Tsukiko couldn't help but giggle at the expression Jae-ha was making, he looked so confused.

"I understand. I'll...give up on you."

"Princess...!" Kija spoke up loudly.

"I'm just asking a favor of him. It's not a command."

"You're stepping back rather quickly..."

"You're telling me outright. Not listening to you is an unsightly thing to do. It's really...really to bad! I wonder why? When I meet one of the four dragons...it feels really hard to separate from them."

"I feel bad, too. You're the second cute girl I've seen in a while. Besides...I was planning on making him a friend..." Tsukiko smile at the fact he remembered her, and that he thought she was cute.

"Not listening to me is an unsightly thing to do." Hak quoted, smirking at Jae-ha.

"Hak?" Yona called, confusion written on her face.

"He says he's a pirate. He's been annoying me for a while, telling me to meet his Captain." - Hak

"That's cold." - Jae-ha

"A pirate? Jae-ha...I...want to talk to your Captain." Jae-ha stood frozen to the spot.

"...Why? So you can give Hak to us?" - Jae-ha

"No, I'm not handing him over." Yona replied bluntly.

"You're the ones...who are fighting against Lord Yang Kum-Ji, right? Yesterday, I saw a government officer kill a kid. I remember that, and even now I can't stop shaking in anger. At those officers...at Yang Kum-Ji...and at me, who couldn't do anything. I don't want to see another child murdered or hurt for no reason. Is there something we can do to help you all fight against Kum-Ji?" Yona ranted out, her eyes were slightly dull but held determination.

"Does that count for your sister too?" Yona's eyes widened.

"Or do you plan to leave her alone with perverts again?" Jae-ha spoke harshly, his eyes glaring at Hak, who in turn looked away. Tsukiko stared at Yona who seemed to go into a daze.

"Jae-ha...It's okay..." Tsukiko's soft voice cut through the silence. Hak and Yona snapped their heads towards the small girl.

"Tsukiko?!" They shouted, relief evident in their voices. Yona ran to hug her sister, but she recoiled back, hiding behind Yoon.

"It's not okay! He left you by yourself! You got hurt because of him!" Jae-ha shouted pointing at Hak who's eyes widened.

"What does he mean Tsu? You got hurt?" Yoon asked turning to face Tsukiko, she turned away not wanting to answer him.

"She was ambushed and assaulted by 2 guards." Jae-ha answered for her.

"1 guy made sure she didn't escape, whereas the other..." Jae-ha couldn't finish his sentence, his fists clenched tightly as he glared daggers at the group.

"H-He to-touched me and I co-couldn't stop him...I-I wa-wanted him to stop! But he didn't! I was so sc-scared!" Tsukiko wailed, her body trembled as she sobbed quietly.

"Oh Tsu..." Yoon trailed off as he wrapped the girl in his arms, holding her tightly. Jae-ha stared at the pair and noticed how Tsukiko relaxed in his arms. He smiled and turned away from the group.

"I'll set aside the Young Miss' request to cooperate for now. If you bring Hak to us you'll be able to meet the Captain. Tomorrow...come to our ship." He told them as he began walking off.

"See you later Little Lady." He called to Tsukiko as he waved over his shoulder. She waved slightly back, still wrapped up in Yoon's arms.

 **~Time skip~**

Yona and the gang were sitting around talking about the green dragon. Tsukiko was sat under a tree by herself, her legs drawn to her chest. She didn't feel welcomed here like she did on the ship with Gi-gan and her crew.

"Tsukiko." A quiet voice called from next to her. She turned to see the masked man sitting next to her.

"Hello, Shin-ah." She gave him a small closed eye smile. Suddenly she was brought into a warm hug.

"Shin-ah?" Tsukiko asked in confusion.

"I...was worried..for you..when you didn't come back..." The blue haired male explained as he hugged her tighter.

"I'm sorry Shin-ha...I didn't mean to worry you.." Her voice was quiet, but he heard it. He understood how she felt. Alone. Unwanted. A burden.

"You...don't need to...apologise...it's okay.." He stroked her hair, soothing her as she began crying again. Suddenly Yoon's voice rang threw the air.

"Okay, okay. Food is ready!"

 **~Le nother time skip~**

The gang stood on a boat facing the crew. Tsukiko was behind Yoon, but she had pushed her way through to the front.

"TSUKIKO!" The crew shouted running up to her and hugging her. She laughed lightly at the noisy bunch.

"You're so cute!"

"We missed you!"

"Where did you go?!"

"Why did you leave?!" People shouted as they hugged her.

"Hi guys." She smiled softly.

"Wait..Tsu, you know them?" Yoon asked as he stepped to the front of the group.

"Yeah! She stayed here for a bit after..." One of the crew members spoke up.

"She said she was travelling with someone, but they forgot about her." Another crew member stated. This caused Yona and Hak to lower their heads in shame.

"We never forgot Tsukiko!" Kija yelled, Shin-ah nodded his head in unison.

"Yeah! We love Tsu! We never forgot her, never for a second, we searched for her but couldn't find her. We had no idea she was here. If we did, we would've been straight here." Yoon explained smiling at Tsukiko who had a blush on her cheeks.

"What about you two?" Mia asked as she stepped to the front of the group along side Jae-ha.

"You didn't contribute to that. You didn't deny it." Jae-ha pointed out. Hak and Yona continued to hang their heads, they knew full well that they had forgotten. Even though other things were going on, Tsukiko should've been on their mind.

"You forgot her. You left her alone." Mia glared at Hak.

"Stop it Mia...it's okay." Tsukiko smiled. She was happy, even though her sister and the guy she'd known since she was little had forgotten her, she was happy that this big family remembered her, Yoon, Kija and Shin-ah thought of her. They never forgot. She was okay with that.

"My sister and childhood friend may have forgotten me briefly, but I'm okay with it, as long as someone knows I'm here, as long as they care for me, I'm okay." Tsukiko explained making her way over to Yoon and hugging him tightly. Mia and Jae-ha smiled at the small girl that had captured their hearts.

"It's still not okay that your own sister forgot you. Shouldn't she care for you? She's older than you, she should be looking out for you, but you've been hurt so many times because she's forgotten you existed. You really don't deserve that Tsukiko. You're so kind and caring, putting others before yourself. You're amazing, you smile even when you're hurt, you don't want people to worry so you try to keep your pain to yourself. You must have been so lonely as a child, your sister never knowing you were there, people thinking of her first. I just wish you didn't have to go threw that pain." Mia explained softly, a frown set upon her face.

"It may have been like that then, but now she has us. I won't let her go threw anything alone. If she's hurt, then I'll help her threw it. I don't want to see her suffer anymore than she already has. Like you said, she doesn't deserve it." Yoon agreed, wrapping his arms around Tsukiko's waist, hugging her to his chest.

"Thank you." Tsukiko spoke, her voice small, but a smile was set on her face. She was happy. She was happy she found people that cared for her more than her sister. That thought of her first. She couldn't as for more. Her sister on the other hand felt neglected, she was jealous.

"I'm Yona. Are you the Captain?" Yona asked, turning topic of her sister to herself.

"...I am...Captain Gi-gan." The Captain introduced, her tone showing that she was bored and would rather be somewhere else.

"I heard something from Jae-ha. He said you want to cooperate with us." Gi-gan stated.

"Yes." Yona replied, not feeling like there was anything else she could really add.

"What's with that mask?" She seemed pretty suspicious of Shin-ah.

"Take it off." She ordered, taking the mask off his face. He didn't let her see his face though, he quickly covered it with his hands, Ao reaching over and placing his paws on top fo Shin-ah's hands.

"He's very shy Captain. Please leave him alone." Tsukiko spoke up quietly. But she went unheard over the commotion.

"O-oh he's an extremely shy person!" Yoon shouted over the noise.

"The thing that matters to me the most...is trust. Who would ask for the help of people who can't be trusted?" Captain Gi-gan asked.

"But...We're strong, Captain." Hak bragged. A smirk set on his face. Suddenly the two dragon warriors and Hak were surrounded by the ship crew.

"If this is all they have we'll definitely win."

"Captain, they're outnumbered no matter how you look at it~~"

"You're right this is too much. Right?" Hak asked

"Yes." Kija agreed

"I alone am enough, to take them all down." Hak and Kija spoke together. This angered the crew and they began charging at the trio.

"JUST TRY IT!"

"Oh boy..." Jae-ha sighed.

"How are you feeling...Captain Gi-gan? Do you want us now?" Hak asked her as the trio stood over the fallen crew members.

"It's no use, Captain. Their strength is abnormal. They're like three of me." Jae-ha spoke up, secretly praising their power.

"You pass." Gi-gan told them, making Yoon, Yona and Tsukiko smile in relief.

"Don't relax too quickly...You brats. What can you do?" She asked them firmly.

"I don't like violence, so I don't fight. Other than that I can do anything. Cooking, sewing, hunting...treating the wounded...And if I have the right ingredients I can make explosives. I'm also a pretty boy." Yoon began listing off all the things he could do well. Tsukiko giggled at the end of his list, earning a small blush from the boy.

"I know Tsukiko can fight. But how about you?" Gi-gan turned her attention towards Yona.

"Eh?" Yona was confused, she didn't know her sister could fight, she didn't believe it either, she thought that maybe Captain Gi-gan was making it up because she liked Tsukiko.

"What can you do?" Gi-gan repeated.

"Me...? What...I can do..." She seemed to struggle with thinking of anything she was good at.

"Nothing, huh? Someone who can't do anything here will be a hindrance. Kum-ji has a large number of difficult people working for him in this town. But if you don't have the strength, then even if you fight back, you will only lose your life. It's impossible for a little girl like you. Go home." Gi-gan told her.

"If this person cannot join then we-" Kija was cut off by Yona called his name.

"It's fine. It's as Captain Gi-gan says. But...There's a reason...I can't retreat either." Yona looked into the eyes of the Captain. Her eyes shining with pure determination.

"Isn't that nice? How about I give you a job...that will prove whether or not you'll be useful...or whether you'll be a person I can place my trust in? A high risk job."

 _'I don't like the sound of that.'_ Tsukiko thought as she stared at her sister with a worried gaze.

 **A/N I really hope you enjoyed reading and would love to hear what you thought.**

 **It would be much appreciated if you would comment, then I know I'm writing the right stuff!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akastuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mikzuho does.**


	21. Chapter 20

**(A/N** _Italics are normal thoughts._ Underlined italics are the voices in Tsukiko's head. **I hope you enjoy this chapter!)**

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

"A high-risk job...?" Yona-nee asked. I was stood next to Yoon, his arm wrapped protectively around my waist, but I didn't mind. I think I'm starting to like Yoon as more than a friend.

"Yes. Right now you're extra baggage that serves no purpose. If the baggage os to fight alongside us against Kum-ji...I'll need to see if you are appropriately prepared to do it." Captain Gi-gan explained.

"Prepared...Understood. What should I do?" Yona-nee asked, her eyes shining in determination.

"...How about you go and pick the Senjusou?" Gi-Gan suggested. The crew began to talk up, obviously not agreeing on her choice.

 **~Time skip because you know what happens and I'm lazy~**

So now we stood at the edge of the cliff, Jae-ha was with us. We were only there to keep an eye on her. Me more than him, but her cared really, he's just a Tsundere.

"Yona...that's the vanishing cape. Your task is located down there...What will you do? If you're going to give up, now is the time." Jae-ha spoke as she wind blew past us.

"Yona-nee won't give up! Right, Yona-nee?!" I shouted cheerfully, turning to her with a massive smile, but it fell from my face as she continued to stare into space. I sighed and walked to stand next to Jae-ha, who placed a hand on my head.

"There's that small path over there, okay? You'll make your way down from there, and then there will be a cavity only you and Tsukiko will be able to fit into. But she won't be going in there with you." Jae-ha explained pointing to a path on the side of the cliff. Yona-nee was shaking, but I wasn't scared, I won't let anything happen to Yona-nee or Jae-ha, even though I know he can take care of himself.

"Easy, right?" Jae-ha you meany. Suddenly Yona-nee slapped herself making Ao jump a little. Wait why is she here?

"Okay." Yona-nee spoke up before we began making our way down the cliff side. With the narrow path and the wind, I found it slightly difficult to keep on, the wind was trying to blow me off the side. Yona-nee was having trouble holding on to the cliff. Suddenly a gust of wind blew off her hood and she stumbled slightly, making a part of the cliff drop into the sea below.

"Yona-nee..calm down.." I tried to speak to her, but my voice just got lost in the wind. She continued shaking, and was soon crying.

"Yona-nee..." I looked back at Jae-ha and he looked straight face, but his eyes held concern.

"Calm down. The wind isn't that strong." He tried to calm her but it didn't work. He was soon lost in thought and began trying to get closer to her, but it was like the wind was trying to keep us apart.

"Yona, sweetie...You don't have to push yourself. You should go back if it scares you. The job the Captain gave you is too much. Although you won't be able to fight alongside us against Kum-ji. Nobody is forcing you to do that. You don't need ti jump into danger by yourself. Because you're a girl." Jae-ha explained.

"Jae-ha! Her gender has nothing to do with it! I know you're protective over her because of your dragon blood, but you have no right to say that!" I shouted at him. How could he say that? I'm a girl! I can fight!

"Sorry, Tsukiko." I just smiled slightly in reply and turned to see Yona-nee shaking her head.

"YONA!" Jae-ha shouted making me jump and nearly fall off the path.

"...I won't...go back...I'll...be o...okay...I have to complete...this one simple job...of course if I can't...I won't be able...to face Captain Gi-Gan...or Hak and the others." Yona-nee managed to get out, her voice shaking in fear. Ao was being her cute self and rubbed her face against Yona-nee's cheek.

"Ao...Thank you...I'll do my best." I love how determined Yona-nee can be.

"It's nice that the target is medicine."

"Why?"

"For instance...right now...If Hak, Yoon...Kija or Shin-ah were seriously injured...and if...the Senjusou was the thing that could heal them...I...would do anything to get it. Even if it was growing right in the middle of a battle ground with arrows falling around...I would go and get it. When I think about it like that...I can go anywhere." I clenched my fists, I wish I could be like Yona-nee.

"Your legs are shaking." Jae-ha pointed out bluntly.

"...Is it frightening to lose someone?" Tears came to my eyes as she asked this question.

"It is. That is the most...frightening thing of all. Seeing people who have lost someone cry is frightening, too." Tears slid down my face as I sobbed quietly.

I continued following Yona-nee, Jae-ha behind me. They were talking but I couldn't hear them.

'You'll never be like her.'

' _You're weak.'_

 _'Everyone will forget about you.'_

 _'Who would want to remember someone like you?'_

 _'You're ugly.'_

 _'You're fat.'_

 _'Weak.'_

 _'Stupid.'_

 _'A burden.'_

When I snapped out of it, I found myself in front of a cave thing. Knowing what was inside I stayed standing next to it. I had promised not to help after all. I could see the tide coming in. The waves crashing against the side of the cliff.

"Yona, did you find it?"

"Yes! Ao let's go." Yona-nee was coming out of the cave entrance when suddenly a massive wave came up, making us jump back.

"Yona, Little Lady, are you okay?"

"Yeah!/Y...Yes!" We both replied. My eyes widened as I saw a wave heading our way.

"JAE-HA, RUN!" Yona-nee shouted to him. I quickly grabbed Yona-nee and pushed her back into the cave, with her safe, the wave crashed against the cliff, dragging me back as it retreated. Not wanting to die just yet, I grabbed onto a root.

"Yona?!" 'Oh wow, thanks for the concern Jae-ha. Why do these roots have to be so thick? I can't hold on for much longer.' I thought as my hands began slipping, the friction was scratching my hands.

"Yona!"

"Yona!"

"I'm okay, Jae-ha!" I heard them talking. Good, she's okay. I sighed in relief. In reality, relaxing probably wasn't a good idea, my hands were slipping more. I shrieked loudly.

"Jae-ha! Yona-nee!" I cried, tears were falling down my face again. 'Please help me.' I clenched my teeth.

"Tsukiko!/Little Lady!" The pair screamed.

"Please help..I'm scared.." I pleaded.

"It's okay, Little Lady. You're fine. I'm coming." Jae-ha was trying to comfort me, but his calm look, quickly turned into panic as he looked behind me. I knew what was coming and tried holding on tighter, just before the wave hit I was wrapped in a pair of arms and pulled into someone's chest.

 **~Third person POV~**

Quiet sobbing was heard from inside of the cave, Tsukiko had been save, but she was trembling and shaking like there was no tomorrow. Jae-ha had his arms wrapped around her protectively, Yona sat next to her rubbing her back soothingly.

"It's okay. You're okay now." Jae-ha cooed in her ear. He then turned to Yona.

"You're seriously one hell of a girl. You've been making me really nervous up until now."

"I...was helped after all..."

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea. It's a general principle of mine...to treat women with the utmost care. Even though I wasn't the one that helped you, I still would have if it came down to it." Jae-ha explained trying to act cool about nearly jumping into the sea for his 'master'.

Suddenly Yona started laughing, causing Tsukiko to start softly giggling, though she was still shaking and gripping on to Jae-ha's robe.

"...What are you laughing at?"

"You were willing to jump into the sea to save me. Thank you. Also thank you for saving my sister." Yona thanked him, smiling softly at Tsukiko, who smiled back and hugged Jae-ha around the neck.

"I wasn't about to let such a cute lady die. That'd be very ungentlemanly of me. Also...keep this a secret to Captain Gi-Gan."He told her, trying to hide his face.

"Eh?! But..."

"That...That Senjusou is something you retrieved using your own strength...and you protected it...therefore you kept the promise you made with Captain Gi-Gan. What I did or what I would've done was just a bonus. You don't need to tell the Captain." Jae-ha smirked at the red haired Princess.

"...I still...haven't completely fulfilled it. I need to take this and return to where everyone else is."

 **~Meanwhile with the others~**

They all stood near the cliff side, staring down in pure shock. Kija had fainted, Hak looked about ready to kill someone, Yoon looked like he may cry and pass out.

"Hey...The Senjusou grows in this type of place...?" Yoon's voice trembled.

"I said it was a steep cliff, didn't I?"

"IT'S TOO STEEP! This is too much! The sea is rough, and the raging winds could have blown them away!" Yoon was screaming, he was furious that the Captain had let Tsukiko go down there.

"I am going down to help them." Kija stated as he began to run in the direction of the path.

"Wait." The Captain commanded.

"That girl took on this job to earn my trust. Do you want to tread on her resolve?" She continued.

"But if we do not do something..." Kija trailed off, a look of panic written on his face.

"Tsukiko is just a frail child, and Yona is just as girl, aren't they?!" Yoon shouted, not really thinking straight.

"Even women have times when they must fight. The young girl may seem frail, but she is stronger than she looks. Don't underestimate them." Captain Gi-Gan glared menacingly at Yoon, who cowered back in fear.

"Are you fine with this, Hak? Hak!" Kija was trying to get his attention, but he was trying to control his raging blood lust.

"Yona...Tsu..." Yoon started tearing up, but Shin-ah lightly tapped his shoulder, trying to get his attention. He then pointed out on the cliff side.

"Hm? Hn-Hm?"

"Yona!" Yoon shouted running over to the pair walking along the narrow cliff side path.

"You all came!"

"Yona! Where's Tsu?!" Yoon hugged, but pulled back and began looking around for the silver haired Princess.

"I'm here, Yoon." Tsukiko's quiet voice spoke up. Yoon grinned and rushed over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Why are you wet Tsu?" He asked the shorter girl.

"Well..I kind of got swept off the side of the cliff by a wave...But I'm okay! Jae-ha saved me!" Tsukiko explained, but also tried reassure him she was okay.

"You what?!" Yoon shouted concerned, as he checked her for wounds.

"I'm fine, Yoon." The silver haired girl smiled a small blush on her face. Yoon stared at her for a while, his face slowly getting closer to hers. Before anything could happen, loud cheering made the too jump apart blushing.

"Yona-nee honestly.." Tsukiko laughed as herself and Yoon walked over to the red head, Yoon offering to help her off the ground. Making sure to scold her about being more careful.

 **~Time skiiiiiip~**

"Why is your cooking so good, Yoon?" Mia asked as she held hers and Tsukiko's bowl, making sure the young girl ate her share.

"Mia I'm fine. You don't need to feed me." Tsukiko tried to stop her.

"You won't eat it all though." Mia replied holding chopsticks up to her face.

"She's right, Tsu. You won't eat it." Yoon replied softly as he came to sit with the pair.

"But I don't need to eat it..." Tsukiko spoke quietly.

"Why is that?" Mia inquired.

"Because...I'm not skinny enough..." She bowed her head in shame. Yoon and Mia looked at each other, concern shining in their eyes.

"Tsu...you're too skinny. It's unhealthy. Please, you need to eat. I don't like seeing you weak from lack of food." Yoon scooted closer to the silver haired Princess and cupped her cheeks.

"Tsukiko...why do you want to be skinnier..?" Mia continued to question her.

"I'm too fat...Yona-nee is thinner than me...I'm too ugly, that's why people forget me..." Tsukiko explained quietly. Mia began tearing up and pulled the small girl into her chest, hugging her tightly.

"Tsukiko, you need to stop comparing yourself to your sister. You're different people. You're not fat. You're underweight. You're too light. If you're not careful you could...die from lack of food..." Mia trailed off at the end the tears slipping out of her eyes.

"It's okay...no one would miss me...they'd forget I ever existed.." Tsukiko replied, her voice soft. Mia pulled away from the fragile girl and began walking away after seeing the angry, yet loving look on Yoon's face.

"Tsu! I would miss you! I'd never forget you! Please...if you can't do it for yourself..do it for me...I...I don't want to lose you, I can't. Please Tsu.." Yoon had cupped her cheeks again, his forehead pressed against hers, tears falling down his cheeks as he looked into her purple eyes.

"...Okay...I'll try to get better...for you, Yoon." Tsukiko tried to smile, but failed, tears fell down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and began quietly sobbing.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry Yoon..." She kept apologising as she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"It's okay, Tsu. I'll always be here for you. You don't have to go through anything alone anymore." Yoon smiled fondly and began stroking her hair soothingly.

 **~Time skip to le morning because too much dialogue. no thanks~**

Tsukiko and Yona were wondering around not knowing what to do as the others were hard at work. They weren't strong enough to lift things and Yoon had the medical part of things down. So they were just stood to the side looking blankly at the scene unfolding in front of them.

Jae-ha was wondering around until he spotted the two sisters and hesitantly walked over to them.

"Yona. Little Lady. I'm going to check out the town. Do you want to come along?" He asked them.

"Yes!" Tsukiko cheered running over and jumping onto his back. He chuckled and walked over to Yona, picking her up bridal style and jumping high into the air.

"Wow!/Wooooaaahhhh!" Yona and Tsukiko spoke in awe.

"Amazing! The Ryokuryuu is the one who can fly through the sky, right?" Yona asked the green haired male.

"Actually I'm jumping/He's just jumping." Jae-ha and Tsukiko replied at the same time, causing laughter to fill the air.

"Are you alright being up this high?"

"Yep!/Yeah!" The sisters replied.

"Even though you were scared on the vanishing cape?"

"I wasn't scared!" Tsukiko shouted hitting the man on the back of the head lightly.

"It was strange. At that time, I could feel you close by the whole time. Being near you...is relaxing."

"Yona-nee, you flirt." Tsukiko teased.

"...The blood of the dragon...is seriously annoying."

"?" Yona was very confused. After a bit of soaring through the skies, they had to land. Which they did, but not long after Jae-ha pushed the two girls heads down.

"Hide!"

"Wah!/Ah!"

"What is it...?"

"It's Yang Kum-Ji."

"I hate the way he looks like he thinks he's so amazing and almighty." Tsukiko spoke, her voice laced with disgust.

"Looking from above, you can tell there's something twisted about this town. Women and children hide in their homes when Kum-Ji comes around."

"There's someone over there." Tsukiko pointed out quietly. They decided to see what they were doing.

"What's wrong?" Yona asked, making the person jump.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm...fine." The person answered shakily. Suddenly Jae-ha grabbed their hand.

"You're...a girl, aren't you?"

"H-How did you know...? " The girl asked trembled as she clutched her hands to her chest.

"Dare I say it was because of your scent?" Jae-ha answered sparkling slightly.

"You're such a pervert." Tsukiko nudged his side.

"Ah no. A pervert."

"I see. So that's a pervert." Yona stood holding Ao.

"Are you disguising yourself as a man to escape from the officers?"

"Y-Yes."

"It was unusual to see you that frightened earlier. Did something happen?"

"...The officers...No...Did Kum-Ji do something?"

"I-I don't know! I don't know!" The girl fell to the floor clutching and shaking her head.

"You don't know...?"

 **~Another time skip (sorry)~**

Everyone stood in a group waiting for Yona, Tsukiko and Jae-ha to return.

"-Ah. Yona..." Shin-ah spoke quietly.

"Really?!" Kija shouted.

"We're back." Jae-ha greeted as he landed. Letting Yona go from his arms and letting Tsukiko slip off his back.

"What's the scoop?" Captain Gi-Gan asked.

"...Captain...The day of action may be the evening of the day after tomorrow." Jae-ha explained.

"The day after tomorrow...Your reasons for thinking this...?"

"I found the shop where people being sold gathered. On the surface it offers high paying jobs to women. But actually, it's a place that transports women who they think will sell high. I asked someone to ask an employee about it. They told him it was a place for young women wanting work, and when he asked how much longer they were hiring for...the employee said it will be until noon of the day after tomorrow." Jae-ha explained to the Captain.

"So three days from now...at least we have an idea, but...Kum-ji is a greedy man. If there is high merchandise on the line...he will wait until the very last minute. If he's going to move the boats, it will be in the middle of the night when the sun has set...but...we don't know which boat the girls will be on." The captain summed up what Jae-ha had explained.

"From the boat...if something like a firework is fired...from the boat the women are on...will we be able to rescue the women a little more quickly?" Yona spoke up causing heads to turn in her direction. Tsukiko knew what Yona was getting at, and she wasn't about to let her go alone. Her eyes shined a slightly lighter purple as determination blazed in her eyes.

"That may work. But who will fire it?"

"I will." The sisters volunteered at the same time. They both looked at each other and nodded, seeing the fire in each others eyes.

"We'll sneak into the human trafficking camp-" Yona started.

"-We will launch the firework." Tsukiko finished, as her eyes seemed to glow bright purple.

 **A/N Well that's that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Don't forget to comment! I always love hearing from you guys!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	22. Chapter 21

**(A/N** _Italics are normal thoughts._ _Underlines italics are the voices in Tsukiko's head_. **I hope you enjoy this chapter!)**

 **Tsukiko's POV**

"Yona!/Tsu!" Jae-ha and Yoon shouted at the same time. Yet me and my older sister ignored them. They're shouts of protest didn't stir our determination. We would go, and no one could stop us.

"Other than bringing down Kum-Ji...the goal this time is to save the women being sold, right?" Yona-nee spoke up.

"We need to quickly find the boat they're on...and take them to a safe place." I added, my usually quiet voice seeming louder with bravery.

"For that purpose. We will creep into the boat to let you know which boat it is." We spoke together, eyes narrowed.

"Wait. I'm a little against the idea." Hak's voice cut through the silence.

"Right! Penetrating the stronghold of Kum-Ji and his officers..Such a thing is too dangerous!" Kija shouted, his arms crossed over his chest, a slight blush painting his face.

"I'm against it too." Yoon's stern voice spoke. I knew he'd protest.

"Same here." Mia raised her hand, her face scrunched in a disapproving way.

"Yoon." Yona-nee's voice was laced with surprise.

"Mia..." I trailed off.

"To launch the firework means...you'll have to carry an explosive onto the boat they've captured! Then you'll have to go up on deck by sneaking past the lookouts from within the boat! If they find you. They'll kill you! It's absolutely impossible!" Yoon finished shouting, getting closer to us as he made every point.

"Actually the sneaking around wouldn't be hard for me, Yoon. I have a low presence, they're attention would have to be completely on the deck of the ship to see me, even then if I'm in the shadows I'd most likely not be spotted. It wouldn't be impossible. Just difficult." I spoke up looking into his eyes.

"Even so, it will be difficult overall to let your comrades know where you are...with a small firework you manage to bring on." Hak said, trying very hard to convince us, mainly Yona-nee, not to go.

"If Shin-ah is there..." I trailed off looking over at the blue haired dragon warrior.

"He should be able to see the signal, now matter how far away we are." Yona-nee finished, also looking over to the masked male. Hak never took his eyes away from Yona-nee, his face set in a scowl, his eyes shining with worry, and disapproving.

"I told you, it's-" Yoon started, but was cut off by Yona-nee.

"The enemy's number is large. We don't have time to look inside one boat to the next." My sister started, her eyes narrowed.

"It will be too late if the women are handed over to the Kai empire while we're fighting!" I continued, my voice raised slightly. Though it still wasn't very loud.

"To stop that from happening...by going in amongst the women to ensure their safety..." She trailed off.

"That's a job only we can do, right?" We spoke together.

 **~Third person POV~**

Yona's eyes seemed to light up with a burning fire. The flames flickering a bright orange, standing out within the bright red haze.

Tsukiko's eyes glowed a bright purple, shining brightly with a brilliant passion.

"Captain Gi-Gan. Please...Let us fight too." They spoke together, eyes narrowing with determination. The flames in their eyes growing brighter, larger with the need, want, to help those in need. The need to be useful.

Captain Gi-Gan's eyes widened, she had never expected such a naive girl to have eyes of a warrior, the eyes that show someone that has run through battlefields., and Tsukiko, the small frail looking girl, her eyes glowed with the brilliance of someone that would always fight for the will of the people, for she understood the pain of those who suffer.

"If we are to succeed...we must certainly be able to rescue the women." Captain Gi-Gan finally spoke up, a smirk set on her face.

"Captain?" Jae-ha stared at the pirate captain in surprise. Not expecting her to crack so easily.

"However, going in as you are, would be reckless. One other person should sneak in with you in order for this plan to work." She explained looking round at the guys on the ship.

"I will." Hak and Kija chorused together.

"I was going to say it has to be someone who can wear female clothing and look feminine." The Captain added.

"What?" The pair were confused.

"This is Kum-Ji's most important merchandise, after all. If you're not as beautiful as the other girls, you'll be turned down at the front gate." She smirked, daring the boys to volunteer again.

"I will/ 3." Suddenly Jae-ha was involved.

"Don't you listen to what people tell you? Are you that impossibly confident? The brawn has increased by one more this time." Captain Gi-Gan sighed heavily, irritated that she was not listened to.

"Well...there is one other among the less skilled men here..." She looked over at Yoon, causing him to sweat slightly.

"Eh?"

"You're a sharp one, and you can handle gunpowder, right?" The Captain inquired.

"W-Wait a minute." He pleaded. Tsu slowly edged closer to Yoon and grabbed his hand gently.

"When it comes to women's clothing, I definitely wouldn't lose to the girls around there! (Since I'm a pretty boy)"

"Pfft." Tsukiko giggled.

"But our opponent is a corrupt overlord. I'm still against Yona and Tsu going, you know? Even if I join them, we don't know whether or not the plan will..." Yoon trailed off as he felt Tsukiko squeeze his hand gently, he turned to see Yona looking at him, her eyes telling him he didn't need to go, he didn't have to force himself. He blushed a looked away from the two.

"..Well, when it comes to handling gunpowder...I'm the only one who can, I guess." He finally gave in, causing the 2 Princesses to cheer. Tsukiko jumped up and hugged him tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Yoon!" Yona shouted happily.

"God, what a pain." He sighed as he wrapped his arms around the silver haired Princesses waist.

"I have to prepare things by tomorrow." Yon can relax, Yona. Because it's a principle of mine to never leave a lost battle." Yoon told the red head, turning his head in her direction. She beamed at him, smiling widely.

"The transaction will be the day after tomorrow. The plan of infiltration will take place tomorrow."

"Work over the strategy!"

"Right!"

' _I'll protect you Tsu.'_ Yoon thought as he buried his face in her silver hair, causing the younger girl to giggle quietly.

 **~Time skip~**

After the crew had gone to sleep Yona had snuck out to talk to Captain Gi-Gan. However Yoon and Tsukiko sat awake, of course they were scared, they didn't know how the day would turn out, but they knew that they'd do anything in their power to protect the one's they loved.

"Yoon..." Tsukiko's quiet voice spoke through the silence.

"Yeah, Tsu?" He asked, turning onto his stomach to face the girl who was already doing the same.

"We'll save them, right?" She questioned, her innocent eyes shining with concern.

"I believe we will, Tsu. We'll get them out safe and sound." Yoon reassured her, she smiled in return, her eyes closing slowly.

"I'm glad..." She trailed off as she fell into a light sleep. Yoon lay there for a while longer, staring at her innocent face as she slept, he stroked her face lightly, as smile graced his face and a blush soon followed.

"I think I love you, Tsu..." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper as he closed his eyes, preparing to sleep himself.

"I think I love you too, Yoon." Yoon's eyes snapped open, meeting with bright purple eyes, surrounded by red, freckled skin. Tsukiko felt as though her face was on fire. She had not meant to hear Yoon, but she was glad that she did.

"You...weren't supposed to hear that..." His voice was quiet, it seemed as though he was ashamed of the feelings, this saddened Tsukiko. Did he not want to feel that way? Was she not good enough for him?

' _Of course you're not good enough for a boy like Yoon.'_

 _'He deserves someone as skilled and knowledgeable as himself.'_

 _'Someone that is as pretty as he is.'_

 _'You are none of that.'_

'You're nothing.' Thoughts swirled around her head, she hadn't realised that she had started crying, tears rolling down her soft cheeks.

"Tsu..?" Yoon called, voice lased with concern. He crawled from his own sleeping bag and over to the silver Princess. He pulled her into his lap, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other stroked her hair.

"What's wrong Tsu..?" He asked, but he did not get an answer, she was not focused on the world around her, only the thoughts swirling around in her mind.

"Tsu...hey..look at me, please." Yoon pleaded pulling away. He cupped her cheeks gently and wiped away her tears. Finally her eyes seemed to focus more and she was soon staring into worried crystal blue eyes.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way about me Yoon.." She cried. His eyes widening, and he began to panic. His mind running at a million miles an hour.

"Tsu..No..You don't need to be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for." Yoon explained rubbing her cheek with his thumb softly. She lent into his touch, a small smile gracing her face.

"But...I'm not worth those kinds of feelings Yoon...you should like Yona-nee, she's far better than me.." She confessed sadly.

"Tsu. I don't want Yona. I don't like her, the way I like you. I love you Tsu, and I'm proud of these feelings." Yoon smiled at the now very red girl sitting in his lap. She was speechless, all she could do was stare at the boy in front of her.

"You're adorable. You're freckles like stars dancing on your pale skin. Your beautiful purple eyes. The way they sparkle when you're happy is absolutely adorable. Your smile lights up any room. Your laugh is like fairies dancing around my ears. I love the way your hand fits perfectly in mine. How your height works perfectly with mine. I love everything about you, Tsu. I hate that you can't see how perfect you are to me." Yoon spoke softly, he had leaned close the the bright red girl, his forehead lent against hers.

"Yoon...I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much, in such little time." Tsukiko breathed out staring into his eyes. Both their eyes shone with love, nothing but sweet, innocent love. Yoon's eyes trailed down to her rosy pink lips, he blushed brightly, and quickly brought his eyes back to hers. But she had already caught on and her blush had spread to her ears and neck.

Slowly she wrapped her arms around his neck, his eyes widened as she smiled at him and slowly closed her eyes. He tilted his head to the side and let his eyes slip closed. Shyly he closed the gap, pressing his lips against hers. He let his hand slip down her cheek, so it held the side of her neck gently, tilting her head to the side slightly.

Slowly they pulled away from each other, blushes very evident on their faces, but bright smiles accompanied the blush.

"I love you, Tsu." Yoon smiled staring into her bright eyes.

"I love you too, Yoon." Tsukiko smiled back shyly.

Content with being in each others arms, they lay together, Tsukiko cuddled against Yoon's chest, his arms wrapped securely around her waist, his head placed comfortably in the crook of her neck.

And like that, the two fell into a very peaceful sleep.

 **A/N NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE WHAT HAPPENED, HAPPEN. BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to comment what you think!**

 **Disclaimer; I do not own Akatsuki no Yona(sadly). Kusunag Mizuho does.**


	23. Chapter 22

**[A/N Slight trigger warning near to the end. I'm sorry in advance]**

 **~Third person POV~**

Morning came all too quickly, the crew rose from their slumber. The pair of younger travelers were still fast asleep, through the night they had shifted in their sleep. Now they lay together, Tsukiko lay on her front, leaning on Yoon's chest, her left arm hung loosely over him, her head tucked under his chin. Yoon lay with his head rested on top of Tsukiko's, his left arm wrapped around her waist.

Noticing that they were missing, Mia stepped inside the room, ready to wake them up. But she stopped as she peaked her head around the cabin door, her eyes widened and she had to stop herself from squealing. As quietly as she could she ran off to get everyone. They had to see it, they were so cute together.

Following Mia the pairs companions crept silently up to the door of the room. What they saw inside made them all blush slightly. The 3 dragons had soft looks on their faces, happy that the small girl had found someone like Yoon. Hak and Yona just stared, surprised that the smaller Princess had, had the guts to say anything to the pretty boy.

"Someone has to wake them up. They others should leave as to not creep them out." Mia whispered as she started walking away.

"I'll wake them, we'll get ready while we're all together. You guys wait outside." Yona whispered as she stepped into the cabin room. The others quietly walked away to prepare for the day ahead.

"Tsukiko. Yoon. Wake up." Yona shook the two gently, they didn't wake up however, only seemed to cuddle closer to one another. This caused Yona to giggle as she stared at the two.

"Come on. Wake up you two." She kept shaking them until Tsukiko began to stir slightly.

"Mmm.." She slowly opened her eyes, her face erupted into a blush as she saw the position she was in.

"Glad one of you is awake." Yona laughed as she saw her younger sisters face turn redder by the second.

"Yoon...wake up.." Tsukiko poked his face gently, he only groaned and swatted her hand away.

"Yoon..." She spoke into his ear, sending shivers down his spine, and causing a blush to spread onto his face.

"I'm awake.." He mumbled, burying his face into her hair. Tsukiko giggled and stroked his hair gently, a loving smile graced her face.

"You two are so cute together." Yona spoke up, breaking the silence and ruining the moment. Yoon quickly detached himself from the silver haired girl and sat straight up.

"Y-Yona...I um.." He stuttered, his face erupted in a bright blush. Tsukiko only giggled at the boy, her sister laughing along with her.

"We have to get ready." Yona instructed, causing the two to nod their heads in reply. The pair stood up and stretched their limbs, before heading over to the pile of clothes they had prepared the night before. Tsukiko picked up her clothes and stepped behind a screen to get changed. The outfit consisted of a short, baby blue kimono, that was decorated with white around the edges. Her sash was pure white, blue trimming around the top and bottom, as well as a blue string wrapped around the middle.

She tied her hair up in their usual twin pigtails, but placed two blue bows on them. She carefully pulled on her thigh high white socks, and then slipped on her blue shoes.

"Are you ready Tsu?" Yoon's voice called out. She stepped out from behind the screen nodding in reply.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She replied, a blush placed on her pale, freckled cheeks.

"Awww Tsukiko, you look adorable!" Yona cried as she ran over and scooped the younger girl into her arms.

"Thank you, but please put me down, Yona-nee." Tsukiko spoke shyly, the red head stopped spinning the small girl and gently set her down. The silver haired Princess looked over at Yoon, who was dressed, with long hair and a bandanna covering his head.

"Yoon, you look like a girl." Tsukiko spoke bluntly, a teasing smile on her face. Said boy clenched his fists and stomped over to her.

"That's the point!" He shouted getting close to her face. The two froze as they stared into each others eyes. Suddenly they were snapped out of their daze by Yona, who had cleared her throat.

"Come on you two. We better get going." Yoon and Tsukiko blushed as they looked away from each other. Yona giggled and made her way out of the cabin, the pair trailing behind her. Timidly Tsukiko grabbed Yoon's hand, who in return squeezed it gently as he smiled down at her. The trio came to a stop in front of the crew members, and their companions.

"Yona dear, you're so cute 3." Jae-ha complimented her, giving her a thumbs up.

"I'll do my best!" She replied, her face set into a determined, but cute, expression.

"You look great kid! You could become Kum-Ji's lover as you are now!" One of the crew men spoke to Yoon. Tsukiko, who stood beside the boy, clung onto his arm tightly, not wanting him to be with anyone but herself, whether he looked like a boy or a girl. Yoon smiled reassuringly at her before turning back to the man.

"Of course. I can win even passing as a wife." He bragged, causing the man and Tsukiko to laugh.

"Yoon, where's the firework?" Yona asked, coming to stand next to the pair.

"I'm hiding it in my sash. I tied gunpowder to the end of a wire. Even though it's small, it's a special firework that will shoot high." Yoon explained, the girls stared at the boy in awe.

"Well then, you should go on with the plan..." Captain Gi-Gan spoke as she came to stand before the group.

"Okay. Well, I'll be back..." Yona trailed off as she stared at the scene before her. Kija was trying to fit his claw into a dress, though it wasn't working too well.

"Don't you have any more clothes with longer sleeves?!" Kija shouted at the crew member standing next to him.

"That's out of our power, man." He replied, sweat dropping. Yona and Tsukiko walked up to the group laughing softly. Tsukiko stood before Shin-ah who was staring at her in concern, but no one else could see the emotion swimming in his eyes. Gently he brought the silver haired girl into his arms.

"Be careful.." He whispered quietly into her ear. She smiled kindly at him and hugged him tightly.

"I will Shin-ah. Thank you." She replied softly. A small smile graced his pale face as they pulled away from the hug.

 **~With Yoon and Hak~**

"Yoon." Hak called as he walked over to the Genius pretty boy.

"Thunder Beast, when you see the signal, hurry and come rescue us." Yoon spoke back to him.

"Are you okay?" Hak asked.

"About what?" Yoon lifted his hand to move the hair off his shoulder, but his hand shook as he did so, and he let it fall back down to his side.

"Do you think I'm pitiful? Yona is so firm, and Tsukiko..she doesn't care what happens to her as long as the girls are okay, but...all I can do is tremble. But you know...that's exactly why I'll be fine. I'm more cautious than anyone...and I live more underhanded than anyone. I can even boast about it at this point." Yoon continued to talk, his voice flat, lacking emotion.

"Thunder Beast...It'll be fine. As long as I'm going...I absolutely...won't let Yona die."

"What about Tsukiko?" Hak questioned, a teasing grin set on his face.

"Not that she can't handle herself...but I will protect her with my life." Yoon replied determination shining brightly on his face.

"I'm leaving them in your care."

 **~To the restaurant place thing~**

Yona and Yoon stood together, doing their best to look elegant and pretty. Tsukiko was holding onto Yoon's sleeve, a small blush on her cheeks, she was pulling out all the stops, she would be the cutest she could be.

"Hm, you say you wanna work here? Hm, uh-huh...I'd like to welcome you, Come right on in." He began leading the trio through the room. Whilst his back was turned, the three quietly cheered to themselves.

 _'They're some fine looking jewels. The small one would make a cute slave.'_ The man thought as he smirked to himself.

"It's this room." He stated, as he lead them over, opening the door and ushering them in.

"Please wait a little while more." He slowly closed the door, his eyes narrowed as he eyed the trio dangerously. Yona froze under the gaze, and Tsukiko began to shake in fear.

"Yona...Tsu.." Yoon called in concern, but he did not get a reply as the floor collapsed beneath them.

"AH.." They all screamed as they fell.

 **~With Kum-Ji~**

"How are the goods?"

"There are no problems. A short while ago, we got our hands on three that look like they'll fetch a high price. One of them is an unusual girl with red hair, another is a small petite girl with silver hair. Quiet cute."

"Oh...? Red hair...? The petite silver one would make a fine slave, I think. Well now, shall we go take a look?"

 **~Back with the trio~**

The trio had landed in a dark room, the drop wasn't too far down, so they were not injured badly, suddenly a door opened, letting light stream into the pitch black room. In the doorway stood a man shrouded in shadow.

"Get out." He demanded. Shakily the trio stood and followed after the man, the kept their heads high, making sure to let the man know that they would not be broken so easily.

After a short walk they came upon another door, opening the door revealed a room full of girls, they were trembling in fear, and this made Tsukiko's eyes blaze with a bright purple fire.

"Hurry 'n get in." The pushed Yona, causing her to fall and land on her ankle funny.

"Ow..."

"Are you okay?" Tsukiko asked crouching down next to her sister.

"It's sprained. You must have hurt it when you fell." Yoon spoke softly after he had examined her ankle. Tsukiko stared at her right wrist, bruises were beginning to form on it, but she quickly covered them with her long sleeves before anyone could see them. The girls in this room were more important than an injured wrist.

"Ku ku ku. It was a better catch than I thought. Awa isn't bad after all." Laughed Kum-Ji as he walked into the room.

"Lord Kum-Ji, what is going on? I heard I could find a job here.." One of the girls cried.

"Kukuku...there is a job. A very important job. You all need to wait here until tomorrow night." He replied. Yoon leaned between the two sisters.

"Yona. Tsu. Lie low. Stay calm now." He spoke in a whisper, but suddenly Yona was yanked by the hair.

"Red hair...I see how very unusual." The buff man spoke snidely. Tsukiko and Yoon had to stop themselves from lunging forward and helping her.

"Kukuku her face is quite beautiful, too. She'll sell high. No...It would almost be a shame if I sold her. They wouldn't mind if I took...just one to be mine, would they?" He spoke to himself. The pair knelt behind Yona had wide rage filled eyes.

"I-I can do better! I can satisfy you better than that woman, Lord Kum-Ji." Yoon stood up, making Tsukiko's eyes widen further, her mind began to panic, she couldn't let either of the pair be taken away.

"Oh?"

"So drop the girl and let me be beside you." Yoon told him, staring at him with an innocent face.

"...You're right. You're quite a fine jewel, too. But-" He cut himself off, and suddenly Yoon was kicked to the floor. Tsukiko quickly crawled by his side, she rested her hand on top of his head gently.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm having my fun. I despise women who are impudent." Kumi-Ji scowled staring down at the body.

"Lord Kum-Ji, please stop. You'll damage the merchandise." The man from earlier stepped forward.

"Don't...INTERRUPT ME!" He shouted, turning around and punching the man to the ground. He wasted no time in turning back to Yoon and stepping on his head, causing the boy to moan in pain.

"Got it? The best women are those that are obedient. If you tremble and keep your mouth shut like this red-haired women, then-" He cut himself off again as he finally saw the glare that Yona was sending his way. Feeling fear shoot through him, he let go of her, letting her fall to the ground next to her sister, who move over to her and hugged her tightly.

"Girl, are you from Awa?"

"Yes."

"I went to Hiryuu Castle a long time ago, and I saw red hair just like yours once. It was just for an instant...from afar, her hair reflected the light of the sun. The name of the girl with that hair was...Princess Yona. You look about the same age as her. Could it be you...? Princess Yona?" The trio's eyes widened, but Yona was quick to recover, her hair covering her eyes.

"...I am...The daughter of a poor Awa merchant. Me and my sister heard we could find new work here. I don't know of the Princess who has the same red hair as me, but...for Lord Kum-Ji's job...if it would be beneficial for me to become the red-haired Princess...I will let you call me so." Yona explained, her eyes set on the ground, her head bowed low. Kum-Ji's eyes narrowed and he looked around the room, his eyes falling on the silver haired girl sitting beside her sister, and he smirked.

"You jest too much. Princess Yona would not have unshaken confidence like that in a place like this. She wouldn't be looking for work either. A girl like you? A Princess? First of all...I heard the Princess was kidnapped an murdered by her valet. A humble one such as yourself wouldn't know that." He finished however he did not leave. His eyes shifted to the silver haired Princess again. She was sat with her legs folded beneath her, her hands neatly folded on her lap, her head held high, the fire in her eyes shining brightly.

"But you however, would make a perfect Princess. Maybe I will keep you for myself." He smirked as he reached forward and grabbed Tsukiko's right wrist, hauling her off the floor.

"Tsukiko!" Yoon and Yona shouted as they tried to grab her, but he only pulled her closer to his chest and began walking out of the room. Dragging the young girl with him. Discreetly she turned her head to look at the two left behind, and gave them a weak reassuring smile.

"I love you." She mouthed to Yoon, smiling at the end, tears in her eyes and she was lead out of the room, and away from the pair. Even when the door closed behind him, the pair continued to sit where they were, Yoon had tears dripping down his face, a hand covering his mouth, trying to muffle the quiet sobs escaping his throat.

"Tsu..." He whimpered. Yona was frozen, she couldn't believe that her little sister was taken. She couldn't do anything to save her. She turned to Yoon who was gazing at the floor, and she enveloped him in a hug.

 **~With Tsukiko~**

Kum-Ji had dragged Tsukiko to his chambers, she had not struggled, there would be no point to it, she didn't know her way around.

"You belong to me now, is that clear?" He asked her as he pushed her to the floor in front of his thrown. She did not speak, only sat silently, her head dropped forward, her gaze on the floor.

"Am. I. Clear?!" He shouted leaning forward and gripping her face roughly. Still she did not answer.

"It seems though you must be taught a lesson." He spoke wickedly, a smirk dawning his face. Her eyes widened in fear as she was pushed onto her back, her arms pinned above her head.

"No...please don't..." She pleaded, finally using her voice, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"What a delicate voice you have. Such a voice suited for that of a Princess." He spoke as one of his hands trailed up her inner thigh. Her body trembled as his hand lifted her skirt higher.

"What is your name little one?" His voice was rough, eyes daring her not to answer. Terrified of what may happen if she were to keep silent she stuttered out her answer.

"Tsu-Tsukiko..." Her small voice trembled and broke. He smirked, keeping his hand firmly placed on her thigh, the other hand holding her arms above her head securely.

"And how old are you, Tsukiko?" He slowly trailed his hand higher up her skirt, causing more tears to fall down her face as she tried to pull her arms away from his, only for him to hold her tighter.

"I-I'm 14..." She answered, closing her eyes tightly. She gasped when he squeezed her thigh hard.

"Open your eyes." He demanded in a cold voice. Reluctantly she did so, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Good girl." He said as he began trailing his hand up higher. Tsukiko gasped and sobbed when she felt him lightly stroke against her lower region, his hands ghosting over and up, his thumb hooking into the hem of her panties.

"No! Stop it!" She thrashed about, trying desperately to close her legs.

"Shut up! You stupid girl!" He yelled, slapping her harshly. Her head snapped to the side, her eyes wide still flowing with tears. Her eyes continued to stare at the wall across the room as she felt the man above her untie and remove the sash from around her waist. He then moved to tie her wrists with the string that was over her sash.

"You will obey me, whether you like it or not. You belong to me now." He spoke evilly, his hands working to remove her kimono, exposing herself to him.

Her screams filled the air, travelling down the halls, but they did not reach the room her friends were being kept in. After what felt like forever her screams died down. Only quiet, raspy sobbing could be heard.

Kum-Ji's laugh echoed around as he stepped out of his room, wrapping his kimono top around himself. A smirk spread across his face as he shut and locked the door behind him.

He had commanded the girls to be moved, and the boats to set sail.

"You damned pirates. Go ahead and come. Tonight will be the night I'll exterminate you."

 **~With Yona and Yoon~**

After being moved onto a boat, Yoon and Yona sat together.

"Yona." Yoon spoke, his voice determined, though his eyes were red from crying.

"Soon...the fight...will begin." Yona's hard voice replied.

 **~Back to Tsukiko~**

Tsukiko sat in a corner, her arms wrapped around her legs, which were pulled to her chest. Sobs racked through her body, shaking as tears poured down her face

"Yoon...I'm sorry..." Her voice was raw from screaming and crying.

She sat alone in that room, body trembling, pleading for someone to save her.

 **A/N OMG I'M SO SORRY ;-; EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL. IT WAS SO HAPPY AND NOW IT'S SO DEEP AND DARK. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. It was for a good reason I swear, and I didn't plan for that to happen ;-; it just came to mind as I was writing ;-;**

 **I hope you enjoyed it! (Obviously not the depressing part)**

 **Don't forget to comment what you thought.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N Okay, so I'm well aware that people probably, more than likely, hated the last chapter. I'm so so so sorry that it happened, I don't know why it did to be honest. It didn't even cross my mind before I got to it, and suddenly I was typing it up. I hope this chapter is better, there won't be anymore scenes like that, I promise.**

 **~Third person POV~**

Shin-ah stared out at the harbor, his eyes spotting the boats immediately.

"The boats at the harbor...have started to move." Shin-ah spoke softly.

"Alright, you brats...let's bring this to an end right now."

 **~With Yoon and Yona~**

The pair had been blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs. Their heads were bowed in shame, guilt, and sadness. They had not forgotten the silver haired Princess, she had been taken by the evil Lord, and they could do nothing to save her. Who knows what had happened to her. Yoon was terrified at the thought.

Ao suddenly popped out from Yoon's kimono shirt.

"Ao, this way." Yoon whispered to the squirrel, who scurried down his arms started chewing on the ropes binding his arms together. He quickly untied Yona, also taking off her blindfold. Both of their eyes were ringed with red, from crying.

"...Yona, let's okay." Yoon's voice was stern, but quiet.

"Yes." Was Yona's only reply, she felt weak, her body shaking from fear and nervousness. Taking a deep breath, the two started to put their plan into action.

 **~With Tsukiko~**

The petite silver haired girl was still curled up in a corner of a room. Her body shaking violently as sobs racked through her.

'Please...someone save me..' She thought, shutting her eyes tightly.

'No. I can't rely on the others to help me. Not now, they don't know where I am. I have to try and get myself out of this situation. I can cry later.' She opened her eyes, they burned with a purple fire. Slowly she stood up on her shaking legs, using the wall as support. Scanning the room she found nothing that could help her escape, she had heard the door lock as that man left. There were no windows.

"If I had my sword, then maybe I could cut my way through the door. But I didn't bring it with me...Not that I'd be able to conceal it anyway...What am I going to do...?" Her quiet, scratchy voice broke through the silence, her eyes slowly dimming, the fire burning out. She crumbled to the ground, her head hung low, fists clenched tightly as her knuckles turned white.

"I really am useless...aren't I...?" She spoke, tears flowing from her eyes again.

 **~Back with Yoon and Yona~**

Their plan had failed, it went wrong somewhere, now they were cornered. Trapped.

'What am I going to do? I have the fireworks. I could quickly go up on deck to let the pirates know where we are...but Yona and Yuri are in danger, and if I'm caught on the deck too...It could be worse...and then we'd never be able to find and save Tsu...please be okay...I don't know what I'd do if anything bad were to happen to you...I won't be able to launch the firework from a place like this. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!" Yoon thought, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

'If it were the old me, I would have thought about putting my life over theirs. I would have come up with the most efficient way for me to escape. But now..." Images of his new friends flashed through his head, Tsukiko stayed in his mind longer.

'Ik-Soo...I...may have turned into an idiot. Right now...I have to protect Yona...and the people of this town. When we set the firework of..we can save Tsu...I won't...let their courage go to waste.'

"These two were only going along with what I told them to do. They really have nothing to do with this...so forgive them." Yoon spoke, confusing the people in the room.

"I'm actually a pirate. I infiltrated this boat as a spy."

 **~Back with Tsukiko~**

 **~Tsukiko's POV~**

Why? Why do I have to be so weak? Why can't I do anything by myself? How could I just allow that to happen? Why? Why? Why?! I clutched tightly onto my hair, it had fallen out of the pigtails during...that...Tears sprung to my eyes again, blurring my vision.

All I do is cry. Why would people want to associate themselves with a crybaby like me? What does Yoon see in me? I don't deserve him...he's so strong and brave...he's smart, pretty. A pretty boy genius. I laughed at the name he calls himself.

Yoon...I hope you're okay...As long as you're okay...then...I'll be fine. As I sat thinking, suddenly a jolt of dread ran through me, I began to panic.

Yoon! Yona-nee! They have to be okay! Everything was planned out! We had it all down. Me getting taking by Kum-Ji wasn't part of the plan, but it shouldn't have changed anything in the plan. Did they get caught? ...Are they dead? Oh god...please no...

I covered my mouth with my hand, panic rising quickly, clouding my mind. They can't be dead, they can't be. No! They're fine, they're alive...they have to be... But...that feeling of dread...it's still not leaving...I have to escape, I have to save them, I have to see if they're okay, I need to help.

 **~Third person POV~**

Tsukiko stood on her shaking legs, quickly dressing herself more presentably, and tying her hair back up. She looked around the room again, desperate to find anything that could help her escape. In the middle of the room sat a large red chair, quickly she walked over to it and tried lifting it. Failing as her wrist began to throb painfully.

'No, I don't care how painful it is, this is my only chance of getting out of here.' Again her eyes shone brightly with a purple fire, her eyes seemed to glow as she picked the chair up with her shaky arms. Slowly she walked over to the door, and began ramming the chair against it. It cracked and groaned at each hit, but it still held strong, not breaking easily.

Suddenly though, the door swung open, she was mid swing and the door suddenly not being there had her toppling over. Standing in the doorway was one of Kum-ji's men, he scowled when he saw the girl was trying to escape. He stalked towards her, but she stood her ground, eyes blazing and focused in on the man.

"You think you can escape? You belong to Lord Kum-ji." The man's voice was strong and gruff, but she did not waver, her resolve to help her friends was stronger than the fear creeping into her mind.

"I don't belong to anyone." Her voice, although quiet, was strong. Angrily the man lunged for her, but she quickly moved out of the way, her speed helping her to dodge the attacks the man threw at her. Thinking quickly she bolted out of the room, and managed to slam the door behind her, the man however started to pound on the door, he had the key so she could not lock him in. That's when she noticed the chair lying beside her, struggling slightly she lifted the chair and placed it underneath the handle of the door, effectively trapping the man inside.

"You bitch! Just you wait until I'm out of here! I'll get you! And then you'll be punished!" The man screamed from inside the room. A shiver ran down her spin, but she did not let it stop her, pushing herself away from the door she began running. Quicker than she thought, she had made her way up onto the deck of the ship.

"Where are they?" She thought, but the question didn't linger in her mind for long as a firework shot from a ship next to the one she was on. Smiling to herself she took a couple steps back and began running to the rail of the ship, with the added speed she used the rail as a step and leapt into the air. She seemed to fly slightly as she soared through the air, but she was soon falling, and found herself landing on the deck of the ship next to the one she had been on.

"You bitch!" Came a shout from the distance, making Tsukiko snap her head to the left, and she was soon taking off. She rounded a corner to see her sister and Yoon being held to the floor. Yona with a knife pointed at her neck.

"She's with the pirates too."

"She sneaked in along with that brat."

"They let their pals know where this boat is."

"Kill them! Before they arrive!" Having heard enough Tsukiko sped forward, grabbing a discarded sword along the way, and jumped in front of Yona, just as the sword came down. It connected to Tsukiko's sword, creating a loud clang.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Her voice came out cold and blunt, not like her usual, quiet and soft voice. Yona and Yoon stared at the girl with wide tear filled eyes.

"Tsu/Tsukiko!" They shouted with smiles on their faces.

"Thank god..." Yoon cried, laying his head on the ground.

"You stupid bitch!" A man shouted slamming the hilt of his sword into the back of Tsukiko's head. Her body hit the ground hard, and then man stepped on her right wrist, making her cry out in pain.

"Stop!" Yoon shouted, he had lifted his head weakly off the ground once he heard her hit the ground. The man didn't listen however and now both Yona and Tsukiko had swords pointed at their necks.

"Take my arm, take my head...take anything, just not them..." But they did not listen, for they lifted the swords above their heads and started to swing down.

"STOOOOOOP." Yoon shouted desperately as the sister stared with wide eyes. Suddenly a figure jumped into view, knocking the two men away from the Princesses.

"...Seriously...you...really pulled it off. How cool is that?" Jae-ha smirked down at the trio.

"Jae-ha!" Yona and Tsukiko shouted in glee, wide smiles spreading across their faces.

"W-Who are you...?"

"I'm the Pirate who has submerged countless ships...the Pirate who dance through the skies. But more importantly...you had better not approach me recklessly. I'll kill you." His voice was threatening and dangerous. The two sisters stared at the green dragon in awe.

"Because I'm no saint who will be able to hold back...against you people who have hurt them." Then all hell broke loose. Crew members charged at Jae-ha, he countered with a glare and ferocious attacks.

"Yoon!" Tsukiko cried, her voice pleading.

'Am I alive...? Jae-ha sure has mastered his dragon power. His power is overwhelming...I...' Yoon thought, eyes not seeming to focus.

"Yoon! Yoon!" The two girls shouting, worry laced in their voices. His eyes focused more, looking at the pair of worried sisters.

"Are you okay?!" Yona shouted as she helped him up. Tsukiko was beside her sister, tears rolling down her face as she saw the state that Yoon was in.

"Yona..." He whispered out.

"You're bleeding...they really punched you a lot. Thank goodness...you're alive..." Yona engulfed him in a hug, Yoon's eyes widened and tears began to gather in his eyes.

"...Yona...you're the one who is all beaten up, aren't you?" Yoon spoke as the tears fell down his bruised cheeks. Pulling away, Yona smiled at him.

"It was thanks to you that I succeeded. You really are a genius, Yoon." Yoon smiled in return, tears still in his eyes.

"Yoon..." A small voice called over the loud noises of fighting. Yoon's eyes widened more and he looked to where the voice came from.

"Tsu..." Tears fell down his cheeks again as he quickly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Tsu...I'm so glad nothing happened to you." He smiled, but noticed that she tensed slightly.

"Tsu...?" He pulled away to gently grab her face. That's when he saw the large hand print on her cheek.

"I'm okay..." She whispered out, avoiding eye contact with him. His eyes hardened and he pulled her closer to him.

"What did that man do to you?" He asked, but did not get an answer.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me, Tsu.." He pleaded with her. Slowly she turned to look at him, tears already falling down her pale, freckled cheeks.

"He...he-" She was cut of by a loud slam.

"Over there! Capture the escapees!" Everyone grew panicked as enemy pirates surrounded them. 2 stalking towards the trio from the front, while another snuck up from behind. Tsukiko could see Shin-ah would be there in time to stop the one's from the front, but would not be fast enough to stop the attack from behind. The trio of enemy pirates swung down quicker that Tsukiko could process, and so she quickly made as choice and jumped in front of Yona and Yoon.

"Shin-ah!" Yoon and Yona shouted just as Tsukiko closed her eyes, waiting for the pain of the sword. But it never came.

"AH!" Came a loud female shout, everyone's heads snapped towards the voice, and found Mia laying on the floor, clutching at the bleeding wound that ran across her side.

"Mia!" Tsukiko shouted, her eyes wide and trembling. She knelt down beside the wounded female. Mia had her eyes shut tightly closed, her body trembling from the pain. Tsukiko suddenly snapped her head up to glare at the man stood above them with blood dripping off of his sword. But her eyes were brighter than usual, they burned with a glowing, bright purple fire as she stood on her feet.

"I'll kill you." No words were spoken, but her eyes said enough that the man dropped his sword as he trembled in fear. Her eyes narrowed as herself, and the man were outline in a bright white glow. She clenched her fist and suddenly the man fell to the ground, and the glowing stopped.

"Tsu..." Whimpered a voice, making said silver haired girl gasp, her eyes going back to their usual dark purple colour.

"Mia..." Tears dripped down her face as she clutched the injured girls hand.

"You'll be okay. We'll fix you up and you'll be okay." Her small voice trembling and shaking. Mia only smiled and shook her head.

"I've already lost too much blood Tsu...I won't..make it..." Her voice was becoming unsteady and she began to cough, blood trickling down from the side of her mouth.

"No! No, you'll be okay. You'll-" A hand was suddenly on her cheek, making her stop mid-sentence. Mia smiled the best she could through her pain, her eyes becoming hazy as her life slowly ended.

"Jae-ha!" Tsukiko shouted, leaning over and hugging Mia tightly, not caring if she got covered in blood.

"Yes, Little Lady? What is...it..?" He trailed off as he saw his friend lying on the floor bleeding out.

"Mia..?" His eyes were wide, and he tried to hold back the tears.

"I'm...sorry Jae-ha..." Mia spoke quietly as her own tears fell down her face.

"It's okay. You did great protecting the Little Lady. I'm so proud of you." He spoke calmly and fondly as he stroked her hair gently. Tsukiko was still clutching onto Mia, sobbing quietly.

"Jae-ha...you have to...protect...Tsu for...me..." Her voice was sounded more strained as she looked up at the man that she had thought of as a brother for years.

"I will make sure she is safe, Mia. You don't have to worry about that." He forced a smile onto his face.

"Tsu...look at me...please..." She pleaded the young girl, who slowly lifted her head.

"Be strong...don't let...my death...be in vain...know that this...was not your...fault...I want you...to be happy...so please...don't...mourn...live...for...me..."Tsukiko nodded her head, trying hard to stop crying, but she could not.

"Jae-ha...tell the crew...I'm...sorry...and...I...love...you...guys..." Tsukiko wailed as Mia's eyes closed and her hands went limp in her own. Jae-ha only turned away, hiding his face as silent tears dripped down his cheeks.

 **A/N AND I WILL BE ENDING IT THERE!**

 **Such a sad ending to this chapter (again) But what were those strange powers that Tsukiko displayed? What's going on with her?**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the update.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does**


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N So- hey there XD not sure how any of you feel about Mia's death, I mean at least it wasn't Tsu, right? hahaha *nervous laughter***

 **~Third person POV~**

Tsukiko still sat clutching Mia's body, tears still falling down her pale, freckled cheeks. Jae-ha had finally stopped the tears that were trickling down his face, Mia wouldn't want them to cry.

"Come on, Little Lady. Smile for her." Jae-ha crouched down next to the trembling girl. Slowly she let go of the older girl, and turned to face the green haired man.

"Jae-ha...I'm sorry..." She whimpered out, covering her face with her hands. Jae-ha's face softened and a gentle smile spread onto his face.

"It was in no way your fault, Little Lady. She knew what she was doing. She saved someone she cared about. She may not have known you long, but she thought of you as her little sister." He pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly.

"We all think of you as our little sister. We'd do anything to protect you." Jae-ha pulled away from the hug, and cupped her cheek gently.

"Now we have a fight to finish. For Mia." He stood up, holding his hand out for her to take. She stared at his hand for a bit, her tears had dried up. Slowly she reached out and placed her hand in his.

"But...what about Mia..? We can't leave her here..." Her quiet voice spoke up.

"We'll put her on a life boat and let her drift out to sea." Jae-ha smiled, as he pulled her to her feet. She only smiled and nodded, watching as he lifted Mia into his arms, and then gently set her down into a boat. Pulling the rope, the boat dropped down into the sea and slowly began drifting away.

"Don't let her death cause you pain. Celebrate her life. Live for her. Smile for her. Laugh for her. Keep her in your heart, and it'll be like she's not even gone." Jae-ha smiled, as he walked back into the battle. Shin-ah had been holding them off for them.

"You came for us!" Yona shouted happily. Of course she wouldn't be too worked up over the death of Mia, she wasn't as close to her as Tsukiko had been, but a person was dead, you'd think she could be a little bit more sad.

"I thought the Thunder Beast would come." Yoon spoke, his tone of voice slightly dull. He as well, was not close to Mia, but she took care of Tsukiko, that alone gave them some kind of bond. The need and want to protect the tiny Princess.

Tsukiko stood beside Yoon, her hand clutched in his, a smile on her face, but anyone that knew her, could tell that it was fake.

"Hak is an important member of our fighting force. So I, who can jump, and Shin-ah who can see in the dark, came instead. Well, those two were the ones who wanted nothing more than to rush out. They wanted to come, but..." Jae-ha trailed off, knowing that they would get what he was talking about. The pair could not come, they were needed there.

 **~Tiny little time skip~**

Tsukiko, Yona and Yoon, had moved during the battle, now they stood hiding behind a secluded part of the ship, occasionally they would peak around the corner to see how things were going. But they were careful not to be seen.

"They're having a hard time fighting the mercenaries from the next boat." Yona spoke up, her face set in a stern gaze.

"I wonder where Kum-ji is?" Yoon asked, the name making Tsukiko tense up, which didn't go unnoticed by Yoon, who still held the young girls hand.

"It's wrong to think he's nearby his cargo. If he's not on this boat...he'll be hiding on a boat...that has a lot of mercenaries protecting it.

 **~With Kumi-Ji~**

"Lord Kum-Ji!"

"Four mercenary groups have been annihilated."

"The majority of the pirates can't move either...But monstrous men have been sinking one ship after the next...The merchandise too..."

"...What?" Kum-Ji asked, anger lacing his voice.

"...The boat that has the merchandise has been taken, too." A member of Kum-Ji's crew answered timidly.

"Damn you, Gi-Gan!" Kum-Ji shouted, slamming his fist onto the table next to him.

"We don't know the full details...but we hear someone from within the shipment guided the pirates there..." The crew member spoke again.

"From within the shipment...?" Kumi-Ji trailed off, thinking back to the girl he had seen, with bright red hair.

"It also seems that the girl you took has managed to escape as well."

"She what?! How?!"

"She escaped sir. One of our men heard banging and when he opened the door, she evaded his attacks and managed to lock him in the room with a chair." The crew member answered.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist down on the table next to him.

"It seems as though she was with the pirates." Kum-Ji did not reply, he scowled deeply.

"They're already closing in on this boat!"

"What are we going to do, Lord Kum-Ji?!"

"LORD KUM-JI!"

"Quiet, you incompetent fools. I won't let that old hag, her pirates, or a mere girl...destroy everything I built...after all these years." He smirked, a anger mark appearing on his forehead.

 **~With the gang~**

Jae-ha and Shin-ah had moved onto another boat to fight off the officers, when suddenly Yoon was shouting.

"Jae-ha! Shin-ah! It's that boat! Kum-Ji is probably in the hold of that boat!" Yoon shouted pointing to a boat not far from the one himself and the two Princesses were on.

"Yona!" Yoon shouted at the girl, seeing that she was just standing there.

"Help us tie up the officers." Tsukiko spoke quietly as she herself, tied a rope around a small group of officers.

"...Yona/Yona-nee...?" The pair called out again when they did not receive a reply from the red haired female.

Meanwhile Jae-ha had landed on the boat that Yoon had pointed him to.

"Prepare yourself, Kum-Ji!" He shouted as he kicked the cabin door down. Only Kum-Ji was not in the room, it was eerily empty. He had escaped on a boat with a single crew member.

"Well...It would be fun to tear them limb from limb, but I won't let it worry me. I'll return to my estate and re-organise my company." Kum-ji spoke to the officer that was paddling the boat.

"Y-Yes." The officer replied, turning to face Kum-Ji.

"Using a subordinate to escape...that's not pretty, is it?" Jae-ha spoke as he leapt off the railing of the boat and towards Kum-ji.

"Lord Kum-ji, he's coming! We can't run away from his feet!" Kum-ji's officer shouted in fear.

"The man rumored to be the soaring dragon? Bring it on." Kum-ji spoke as he stood, picking up his bow and an arrow.

"I tried shooting him down once." He aimed at the green haired man, pulling back the bow's string. Jae-ha in turn, took his hidden kunai and threw them at the two men on the small boat.

"Uaaaaggghh." The officer shouted as he was hit by two of the three kunai. At the same time, Kumi-ji shot his arrow, it landed it's mark in Jae-ha's right shoulder, and holding his new injury he plopped into the sea.

"JAE-HA!" Yona and Tsukiko screamed, horrified that their new friend had just been downed by the horrible man.

"Ku ku ku...he even aimed for the boat-man. That's a splendid arm he has." Kum-ji spoke to himself as he pulled the Kunai from his right leg. Gasping for breath, Jae-ha's broke from under the water.

"But...If you've fallen into the ocean, you can't jump around anymore, can you?" He taunted, aiming his arrow at the green dragon again.

"It's a shame I couldn't keep your silver haired friend. She was a lot of fun, for such a small thing." Kum-ji smirked as Jae-ha's eyes widened in horror, his face twisting into a deep scowl. Suddenly Kum-ij snapped his head up, a chill running through his spine. Looking up he spotted Yona, her eyes blazing with a deadly fire, her arrow aimed, ready to fly towards it's target.

He reached out to her, concluding that she indeed, was the missing Princess, and as this thought came to mind, he was hit, square in the chest, and fell into the sea.

Everything was silent. The fighting stopped. They stared at the red haired Princess, eyes wide and surprised. Her companions watching her in awe. Tears came to Tsukiko's eyes as she admired her older sister.

"Captain! Captain Gi-gan! Kum-ji was shot and now he's in the sea..." A pirate shouted happily as he rain towards the Captain. Looking over at all of the captured Officers, Gi-gan let a small smile come to her face.

"The night...has dawned, hasn't it..."

 **A/N I shall leave it there. I'm planning on adding some scenes between the dragons and Tsukiko during the next chapter. So hopefully it'll make up for this one being shorter than the chapters usually are.**

 **I hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to comment your thoughts! I love to hear from you all!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does**


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N not sure if this will be needed, but-** _Italics are normal thoughts._ _Underlined italics are the voices in Tsukiko's head._ **I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **~Third person POV~**

"Did...we do it...?"

"Y..Yeah...it took long enough..."

"Is it true? Did it really end?"

"I'm tired..."

"Why you- On a hopeful day like this?"

"But you're right. We were fighting all night, so..."

"You guys." Captain Gi-gans voice interrupted them.

"Yes, Captain?"

"What slobs. Are you going to sleep now? Once you close your eyes, you'll be nothing more than fishermen." She spoke to three members of her crew. Their eyes widened, and they were left speechless.

Slowly the boat was steered to the harbor and everyone was off the boat.

"Princess..! You're safe!" Kija shouted happily as himself and Hak made their way over to the three younger members of the group.

"Neither of you have a scratch on you." Yoon spoke to the two.

"You guys on the other hand..." Hak trailed of looking at the three, as they stared back at him blankly.

" _Looking at them closely, those marks look like they were punched and kicked all over the place."_ They thought angrily, and they turned around in fury, wanting to take revenge on those that hurt their precious children.

"Calm down, you beasts. You're being a pain." Yoon's eyes were narrowed in annoyance, making the small silver haired girl beside him, laugh.

"Um...Thank you for rescuing us. I thought I would never see Awa again." Yuri thanked the crew, bowing to them in gratitude.

"N-No we-"

"It was only the natural thing to do...No, saving you was something we were destined to do." Jae-ha spoke sweetly, making Yuri blush.

"Don't spout these weird things like you're natural at it!" Some of the pirates shouted at the green haired man.

"We've always been save by you, haven't we? We...couldn't do anything..." Yuri spoke sadly, her hands clasped together.

"You put your life on the line to lend us a hand, Yuri. Awa...will definitely be fine. So long as there are people like you in it." Yona smiled, grasping Yuri's hands in her own.

"So, um...is there anything we can do to repay you...?" One of the Awa girls asked Gi-gan.

"The price we demand from you is pretty high." Captain Gi-gan spoke up.

"Eh?!"

"Alcohol. So everyone in the town...can get drunk." She grinned slyly, causing an uproar of cheers to break out among the men.

"Okay! We'll get started right away!" Yuri shouted as herself and some other girls ran to get the alcohol.

"Hold it! What're you saying?! Everyone is injured. We need to treat you all first..." Yoon spoke, trying to cover his concern with anger.

"C'mon, boy."

"Snacks! Prepare some snacks!"

"I'm not your wife! More importantly, you need to be treated...!" Yoon shouted at the bulky man, that had his arm around his shoulder.

"You stupid little bastard! For this night of triumph, we're gonna drink and brawl until we're smashed. pirate style!" The man shouted, smiling widely.

"It's still noon!" Yoon shouted back.

"I'm down with that." Hak spoke up, a smirk on his face.

"Don't join them, Thunder Beast!" Yoon replied, shouting angrily.

"A feast? Where are the lovely dancers and musicians?" Kija spoke softly.

"Songs and a play sound fun." Yona naively stated.

"Shut up! We have no money!" Yoon shouted back, his face showing how done he was with that group.

"Squeaky, stop eating Shin-ah!" He shouted towards the little squirrel that was nibbling on Shin-ah's finger.

"Don't stress Yoon. They won't change. Just go with it." Tsukiko spoke softly, holding his hand tightly and smiling up at him. He sighed, but smiled back at her, squeezing her hand back.

"Heh heh! There's no helping it, Yoon. Today is special." Jae-ha came up behind the air, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Victory! Splendid, is it not? For Awa port, which has been cleansed...and for the beautiful ladies...we will celebrate this day. My handsome self will now...Strip!" Jae-ha shouted and began taking his clothes off, exposing his bleeding shoulder.

"But you're bleeding profusely!" Yoon shouted, while Tsukiko blushed slightly.

"Here's the alcohol!"

"Oooh! Open it, open it!"

"Boy, are the snacks here yet?"

"I don't know, Idiot!" Yoon shouted back, as he cleaned and patched up Jae-ha's wound.

"Yoon...do you think I should sing...? Everyone seems to want some kind of entertainment...so.." Tsukiko trailed off, her cheeks flushing red. Smiling at his young lover he lent down to her and cupped her cheek gently.

"If that is what you wish to do, then do it. You have the most beautiful voice I have ever heard, and I'm sure everyone here will love it." He spoke softy, making her cheeks burn an even brighter red.

"I want to hear the Little Lady sing as well." Jae-ha spoke up. He smiled at the small girl as he face lit up.

"Okay!" She shouted excitedly, she planted a kiss on his cheek, before she happily ran away.

"Excuse me. We citizens are thankful you saved the girls..."

"Don't be so formal, old man."

"Just drink already!"

"Is it really okay...?"

"The hell're you saying?! This town belongs to all of us. We don't have to worry about anyone anymore. The girls can freely go outside, too! If you get it, call everyone in the town to come over!"

"Yeeaaahh!"

"While you're at it, call a doctor too!" Yoon was going around treating everyone's wounds.

Tsukiko was stood on top of a small pile of crates, her cheeks a bright red, and her hands folded tightly together.

"You'll do great, Little Lady." Jae-ha whispered into her ear, patting her shoulder gently. He sat down next to her his erhu ready to play.

"Okay, Jae-ha...I'm ready." She smiled shyly, and he nodded.

 **(The song is Senbonzakura, by Hatsune Miku)**

The sound of music made everyone turn their heads in her direction. Tsukiko quickly grew nervous, her hands shaking under the stares.

She started singing, her voice slightly quiet and nervous, but as she kept singing, and everyone started to dance around, she began to get more into it. Her voice becoming more confident, and she smiled brightly.

As she hit the last note, her voice carried out over the people surrounding the docks. Jae-ha stopped playing and everything went silent. This cause Tsukiko to grow nervous again.

Then the crowd of townsfolk and pirates broke out into cheers and applause.

"Wow, Little Lady. You have a pair of lungs on you." Jae-ha was the first to speak to her, his comment caused her to blush again.

"Thank you!" She smiled brightly.

 _'She someone so small, she's so strong. After what Kum-ji did to her, she should be different. But she's all smiles. We have to protect that smile.'_ Jae-ha thought to himself as he stared at her blushing, happy face, while the pirates complimented her performance.

"Little Yona, let's drink together." One of the pirates tried to grab Yona.

"Oops. Don't bother." Hak jumped in, pulling her away. The pair stared at each other over a naive naive Yona. Suddenly, both of them broke out in grins, and then they were drinking together.

Kija on the other hand, was drinking with a small group of women. He was already tipsy.

"Say, is it good?"

"Yes."

"Do you like alcohol."

"Yes."

"You're cute. Let's get married."

"Okay." Obviously, Kija was too drunk to understand what he was signing up for.

"Granny! Weddings- Enough with the weddings!"

"Granny?"

Shin-ah was sat with Ao, both of them munching on some food, watching everyone dance around.

 **~Night time (I'm not gonna have the scene that involves Yona and Jae-ha)~**

Tsukiko was sat at the top of the hill, overlooking the sea, her back to a tree and her legs pulled up to her chest. She thought about the victory they won, everyone's smiling faces as they celebrated. But she couldn't help but think about what that awful man did to her, how she felt so dirty and disgusting. She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders shaking with silent cries. Her chest squeezing painfully, making it hard to breathe.

"Tsukiko..." A quiet voice cut through the silence, making her jump, yet she didn't lift her head to see who it was. She knew by the voice who it was, she just didn't know what to say to anyone at this point.

"Tsukiko?" Another voice spoke softly, concern lacing their voice.

" _You can't tell them. If you tell them, imagine how disgusting they'll think you are."_

 _"You're filthy."_

 _"You're used goods. No one will want you now."_

 _"Not as a friend, not as a companion, not as family, and certainly not as a lover."_

 _"You're broken."_

The voices whispered in her head, and suddenly her silent cries turned into loud sobbing. Her voice cutting through the silence, breaking the hearts of the three men that stood before her. Jae-ha, being the only one that had any idea of what happened to make her this upset, stepped forward and engulfed her small form into his arms.

"It's okay, Little Lady. He's gone now." His smooth quiet voice soothing her. Not knowing what to do, the other two men approached the two, kneeling next to them.

"Can you tell us why you're so upset, Tsukiko?" Kija's voice was laced with concern, he didn't want to push her, but if she was this upset about it, then she needed their help. The three dragon warriors exchanged worried looks when the only reply they got was a shake of her head.

"Can you tell us why you don't want us to know?" Kija tried again, slowly, Tsukiko pulled away from Jae-ha, her head lowered so they couldn't see her face.

"Yo-You won't want to be associated with me a-anymore...you'll think I'm...di-disgusting..."Her voice was very quiet, they had to strain their ears to hear what she was saying. Jae-ha's heart bled for the petite Princess, he knew what had happened. He mentally slapped himself for thinking that she could be fine after something like that.

"We could never think something like that about you. You're part of our tiny family, Tsukiko." Kija spoke sincerely, his human hand reaching out to grasp her own small one.

"...You're...our little sister..."Shin-ah's quiet voice spoke. Tsukiko looked into where she thought his eyes would be, tears still overflowing from her eyes. Gently he wiped the tears from her pale, freckled cheeks.

"You can tell us, Little Lady. We won't let anything happen to you. We would never think any of those things going on in that cute little head of yours." Jae-ha lightly ruffled her hair, smiling down at her.

"Is it to do with Kum-Ji?" Jae-ha asked, this caused the other two to snap their heads towards the green hair male. Tsukiko whimpered quietly, and they slowly turned their heads back towards her, their eyes wide. Slowly she nodded her head in response.

"Can you tell us what he did, Tsukiko?" Kija tried again, hoping she'd answer him, his voice was pleading, but she only shook her head again.

"...Did...he do something...to you...?" Shin-ah asked, his voice hesitant, his brain was running, he was starting to get an idea of what could've happened, but he didn't want it to be true. She nodded in reply, causing Shin-ah to scoot closer and gently grab her other hand.

"Did he hurt you?" Kija was beginning to catch on. Again, she nodded.

"Did he...touch...you?" Kija's voice was started to break, tears in his eyes. Sobs racked her body, she screwed her eyes shut as she nodded her head. Tears fell rapidly down her face, all the guys could do was to sit there and let it all sink in.

"That bastard. How dare he! He raped you, didn't he?" Jae-ha's voice was no longer quiet and soothing. He was angry, and it showed in his voice. His only answer was loud heart wrenching sobbing. She was starting to cry so hard that she seemed to struggle to breathe.

"Jae-ha!" Kija scolded as he pulled the fragile girl into his arms. Her arms were folded against his chest, her fists clenching the fabric of his clothes. He began stroking her hair, trying to sooth her the best he could. Shin-ah was gently rubbing his hand on her back, also trying his best to calm the young girl.

"...He can't hurt you anymore...we'll protect you..." Shin-ah's usually timid voice was filled with determination. Even though they did not have a bond like they did with Yona, they felt the need to protect this tiny girl. From the moment they met her they'd seen her as a little sister, someone they didn't feel they needed to protect because of the dragon blood. It was their choice.

"...I'm sorry..." Her voice was quiet, quieter than usual. It was raspy and broke from crying so much.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Jae-ha had managed to calm himself, he didn't need to add to how upset she was.

"But I-"

"No. Never would you need to apologise." Kija cut her off, pulling her away to wipe the tears from her face.

"...I see you like my big brothers too...thank you...No one's ever remembered me for this long before...you never forgot me...when Yona-nee and Hak forgot me...you didn't...thank you...thank you so much..." She hugged Kija around the neck, burying her face in his shoulder, crying tears of happiness. The three men smiled at her softly. Slowly Tsukiko began to drift off.

"I...love you guys..." She whispered as she let sleep take over.

"We love you too, Little Lady." Jae-ha whispered back, as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kija asked him.

"To see the Captain. You should sleep. See you in the morning." Jae-ha spoke as he walked away.

"...We should lay her...with Yoon..." Shin-ah suggested, causing Kija to nod his head. He gently shifted Tsukiko round so he was carrying her bridal style, and together the two men walked towards the rest of the gang.

"I'd kill that corrupted Lord, if the Princess hadn't already." Kija's voice was laced with venom, and all Shin-ah could do was nod in agreement. Slowly and carefully Kija lowered the sleeping Princess down next to the sleeping Yoon. Her head resting on his shoulder, and her hands laying slightly curled, on his chest.

"...I'm glad she has him..." Shin-ah whispered as he turned away, he lent against a tree and slowly drifted to sleep. Sleepily, Kija trudged over to the table, he sat down, resting his head on the table and slowly he too, fell into slumber.

 **~Morning~**

Yona was the first to wake up, she looked around at all of the people asleep, and decided that they deserved more sleep. Quietly she stepped over the sleeping people, she'd decided she would go for a walk alone.

"Yona-nee...?" A quiet voice made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Tsukiko..you startled me." Yona breathed out a sigh of relief, her hand falling from where it had been placed against her chest.

"Sorry." She apologised sheepishly.

"Where are you going?" She continued.

"Just for a walk. Would you like you come with me?" Yona asked her younger sister.

"Okay." Tsukiko replied happily. Gently she removed Yoon's arm from around her waist and slowly stood up, as not to wake him. Once she was free she happily walked over to her older sister.

"Let's go." Yona said, gently taking Tsukiko's hand in hers and pulling her along. The younger Princess smiled at their intertwined hands, and walked with a spring in her step. They did not talk as they walked along, they just let the air around them fall into a comfortable silence. As the two sisters walked happily along they rounded a corner.

"Kya!/Wah!" Yona and the mysterious figure shouted in surprise as they fell to the ground. Tsukiko had not crashed into the figure and decided to hide herself behind the wall, she did not trust people fully yet.

"Sorry...Yona-nee..." She apologised quietly.

"I-I'm sorry!" Yona apologised.

"Ah! No, no. I'm the one who should watch where I'm going..." The mysterious person spoke, holding his hand out to take.

 _'That voice.'_ The sisters thought, Yona slowly lifted her head, her eyes widening at the person that stood before her. Tsukiko had peaked around the corner, her eyes narrowed once she saw who it was, she glared at the man in pure anger.

 _'Soo-Won.'_

 **A/N WOOOO ANOTHER CHAPTER?! WHAAAATTT?! I had to write this chapter before I forgot what I wanted to put. Hopefully you won't have to wait long for Chapter 26.**

 **Also, sadly, this fic is coming to an end. This book at least. I may make a book 2. But I am not too sure at the moment. If people want a book 2 then I will work to make one.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to comment!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akatsuki no Yona, Kusunagi Mizuho does.**


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